Daybreak
by Romanticly tragic perfection
Summary: What if Bella had met Alpha Jacob before Edward? What if Jacob went to the same high school as Bella and the Cullens? How would this change things? Edited by the very talented writer April-Showers82.
1. Preface

**Daybreak**

**Summary: What if Bella had met Alpha Jacob before Edward? What if Jacob went to the same high school as Bella and the Cullens? How would this change things?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! All characters belong to Stephanie Myer. There will be no song lyrics or any other violations of the guidelines in this fiction.**

** ~PREFACE~**

_They say that before you die your life flashes before your eyes. _

_Every hour, every minute, down to the the very last second. _

_All your regrets and mistakes. _

_Everything you should have done but didn't. _

_All the joys and all the pains._

_All the people you love that you'll never see again. _

_As I stared into the blood red eyes of a monster, I only saw my death._

_I saw how he would do it. _

_I saw how much he would enjoy it and I saw how much it would hurt. _

_And for a second, i could see myself breaking. I could see myself begging for mercy, begging to go home to my family. _

_I could see my crying and screaming and falling apart. _

_But begging wouldn't change things. It would only give him satisfaction and that I wouldn't do. No, this would be the death he carried with him for the rest of his miserable existence before his own death came._

_And his death would come._

_There was no doubt in my mind that this beast would fall. _

_And that knowledge gave me strength. _

_ So I made a decision to give him nothing._

_ I was not going to beg for mercy. _

_I was not going to scream._

_I was not going to be broken. _

_I was not afraid of him._

_ He could take my life, my blood, but he would not get my fear. _

_"Are you afraid, Isabella? " he purred, caressing my cheek with his cold, stone like hand._

_I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death now. But, even as I faced my imminent demise , I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end._

_As the monster smiled in a friendly way and he prepared to kill me, a lone wolf's howl was echoed in the distance_.


	2. Chapter 1: First sight

**Daybreak**

**Summary: What if Bella had met Alpha Jacob before Edward? What if Jacob went to the same school as Bella and the Cullens? How would this change things?**

* * *

><p><strong>A Werewolf Joke: <strong>

_**Q: How do you know if two werewolves have been in the fridge? **_

_**A: Two pairs of paw prints in the butter!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I own nothing! All characters belong to Stephanie Myer. There will be no song lyrics or any other violations of the guidelines in this fiction.<strong>

**CHAPTER ONE: FIRST SIGHT**

_**"You never get a second chance to make a first impression"**_

_**-unknown**_

* * *

><p>My mother drove me to the airport, while I stare out the window at the perfect, cloudless, blue, sky. It was the perfect day to relax on the porch with a glass of lemonade and a good book. I was going to really miss Phoenix. But I couldn't complain; I had brought this on myself.<p>

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near constant cover of clouds. I'd bore you with more details but I'm too depressed right now, so I'll just tell you that basically the town sucked. _**A lot.**_

It was in this town that I'd been forced, to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally told my dad I wasn't coming. I made a lot of excuses, but I was a horrible liar so finally I just told him that I didn't like Forks. It was too wet, too gloomy, too…not Phoenix.

So these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, came to me in California for two weeks instead. I promised myself I would never return to Forks, Washington again in my life. But here I am heading to the airport to go to Forks, an action that I took with great dismay.

I hated Forks with a capital **H**.

I _**Adored **_Phoenix.

I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city. I loved its beauty and the Valley, and the mountains. I loved my beautiful house, my school, and watching the sunset that made the sky purple and orange. I loved the people and the sand and…

"Bella," my mom said to me pulling me out of my thoughts. "You don't have to do this."

My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt sadness as I stared at her wide, innocent eyes.

How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself?

Of course, she had Phil now. He would pay the bills and there would be food in the refrigerator, and gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still...

"I have to go", I said. I had always been a bad liar, so I'd found a loophole in my wordplay. I never said I _wanted_ to go. I had to go. It was what was best for everyone, with the exception of me.

"Tell Charlie I said hi." She relented, not putting up a fight.

"I will." I promised.

"I'll see you soon," she insisted. "You can come home whenever you want -I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise.

If I did change my mind I would always be filled with guilt.

I couldn't go back.

"Don't worry about me," I urged. "I'll adjust. I love you, Mom."

She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.

It's a four hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me. I brought along my copy of Jane Eyre, to read during the flight, and thought about what had led to my decision to move to Forks. A year ago, if anyone told me that my mother would remarry I would have laughed in their face.

…

…

Okay, I would have laughed quietly after they left. I wasn't good with confrontation. My mom wasn't the type to settle down. It's the reason her and my dad got a divorce. Even when she dated, she'd eventually get bored and broke up with them. I was the only constant thing in her life. She switched hobbies the way most people switched clothes. She changed her religion because some lady at the gym told her too. Then she switched to another one because a celebrity recommended it. She dyed her hair once a week and wore green contacts because brown hair and blue eyes were **"boring".**

Or at least they used to be before Phil came along and said he liked the natural look. I closed my book and sighed, giving up pretending to read. It wasn't like Phil was a bad guy. He was nicer than a lot of her other boyfriends.

Actually, he was perfect for her. The seven year age difference kind of bothered me but she said it didn't matter if she was older because Phil made her feel young and alive. I would never date a guy younger than me. It would make me feel like a cougar or something.

Phil paid the bills. Phil cooked the meals. Phil cleaned up mom's messes. Phil followed mom on her crazy adventures and enjoyed every minute of it. Phil…

_Phil replaced me._

All my life I had to look after my mom. I had to cook the meals because, while mom's food was creative, her food wasn't edible. I had to do the grocery shopping because mom would forget or buy junk food. I made sure she paid the bills because mom would spend it all on something stupid or forget to mail the check. I balanced the checkbooks. I did the takes. I was the mature one. I was the responsible one. I was mommy's little helper. It was how I defined myself. It was my purpose in life. I was Isabella Marie Swan: daughter and caretaker of René Higginbotham. Now, she was René Dwyer, wife of Phil Dwyer and I had no idea who I was.

The **"Fasten Seat Belt"** light came on and the pilot announced our approach to Port Angeles. I shoved my book in my purse and tried not to worry about the hour car ride with Charlie.

I loved my Father. As far as dads go, I couldn't ask for a better one. Charlie had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely delighted that I was coming to live with him. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car.

But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. I never knew what to talk about when he was around and he was just as lost when it came to me. He'd been shocked when I'd said I wanted to live with him. After the big speech I gave about hating Forks and never going back to that small, unimportant town.

Yes, I said that.

But I didn't mean it.

...

Okay, I did mean it then but I don't now. I mean I still hate it with passion of a thousand suns but I'm starting to see the advantages it has.

Like…

_**Like…**_

Who Am I Kidding?

This was the worst decision I ever made!

Nervous and a little fearful, I gripped the seat arms as the plane touched down.

"Fear is only as deep as the mind allows," I mumbled a Japanese proverb, I had once read in a book, making the old woman sitting next to me glance my way.

When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I despise the rain. It's cold and wet. My two least favorite things. Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop.

Charlie gave me an awkward, one armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane.

"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me.

"You haven't changed much," I blushed at my clumsiness "How's Renée?" he asked.

"Mom's fine. She dyed her hair back to brown and got rid of the contacts," I said, slipping back into my old role of my Mother's keeper.

Charlie looked amazed.

"I thought she said brown hair and blue eyes were 'Boring'?" Charlie said, confused.

"She changed her mind," I said with a shrug. Charlie just shook his head, used to Mom's fickle ways. I felt my depression creeping back as I remembered why I was here again.

"It's good to see you, too, Dad." I said, nervously gripping my purse to keep my hands from shaking. I had only a few bags. Most of my Arizona clothes were too permeable for Washington. My mom and I had pooled our resources to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty. It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.

"What kind of car?" I asked.

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down in La Push?" he asked.

La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.

"A little," I confessed.

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.

That would explain why I didn't remember him. I hated fishing.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when I didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine - it's only a few years old, really."

I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily. "When did he buy it?"

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties - or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic..." I protested.

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."

"How cheap is cheap?" After all, that was the part I couldn't compromise on.

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you, as a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at me with a hopeful expression.

"Thank you, Dad," I said, touched that he would do that for me. "You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car. I promise I'll pay you back."

I would have to start job hunting sooner than I expected but that was fine. I never looked a free truck in the mouth - or engine.

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this.

Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited that from him.

"I want you to be happy too," I mumbled, looking down at my hands as I responded.

I knew the chances of me being happy in Forks were horribly low. I glanced out the window. I hated the rain. We talked about the weather, which was wet, and the job Charlie found for me at the Newton's store.

"It's only part time so it shouldn't interfere with your school work," Charlie said.

"Great, when do I start?" I asked, grateful I didn't have to go job hunting after all.

"You can start this Saturday, if you want. I already talked to the Mrs. Newton and she said you can start as soon as you get settled in."

"Thanks, Dad," That was pretty much it for conversation. We stared out the windows in silence.

It was beautiful. Everything was green: the trees, the trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns.

"It's too green," I mumbled under my breath.

Eventually we made it to Charlie's house. He still lived in the small, two bedroom house that he had bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had - the early ones. Mom often spoke fondly of her younger days with Charlie.

I frowned. But all that came to an end once she had me.

There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never get damaged; the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" I exclaimed, hugging him.

"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again, and stiffly hugged me back.

It took only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs. I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the lights blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window -these were all a part of my childhood.

The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as I grew. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner. The desk now held a secondhand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily.

I debated whether I should call her now that I had made it to Charlie's. I wanted to. I really did…but if I called her now I would probably fall apart. There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Charlie. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact.

I was thankful that Charlie didn't hover like my mom. He left me alone to unpack and settle down, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. I sighed, wistfully. I remembered when we moved in our house on Phoenix.

* * *

><p>I had just started to unpack when mom had burst in my room.<p>

"It's time for a break," she sang.

"But mom we haven't done anything yet," I protested.

Mom laughed.

"Well, then we can start unpacking later," She said, grabbing me by my arm and dragging me out of the room.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm taking us out to eat to celebrate our new home!" she cheered.

She took us out to eat at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

"I'll have the Main Filet Mignon," she told the waiter.

"Mom that's $44!" I protested.

She waved me off.

"Relax, Bella. A woman has to treat herself sometimes," she said.

I sighed and tried to order some onion rings, but mom ordered me the French Quarter Barbecue Shrimp for $16.50.

"How are we going to afford this?" I asked, once the waiter left.

Mom shrugged. "I got my credit card."

All was going well until mom realized she left her wallet at home.

"I can't believe I forgot it!" she cried, digging through her purse.

"I suppose the only solution would be to tell the manager the truth. I'll stay here while you go get your purse," I reasoned.

Mom shook her head. "I'm not going to leave you here. Don't worry sweetie. I just need time to come up with a plan to get out of this mess."

She thought for a moment. "I got it! We'll stall! We'll order more food!" she said.

"But isn't that just worsening the problem?" I asked, but she ignored me.

She ordered half of the food on the menu and when I couldn't eat another bite she ordered the whole dessert menu. She had just finished the Baked Brie and had been about to order some wine when her throat closed. Turns out it had walnuts. Mom was severely allergic to walnuts. She had to be rushed to the hospital and the restaurant waved the bill as an apology.

* * *

><p>A few tears slid down my cheeks and I stared dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain. I picked up the phone to call my mom and tell her that I wanted to go home. But then I thought about how sad my mom looked when she was forced to stay home with me. I put the phone down. I couldn't be selfish.<p>

I turned my thoughts to tomorrow.

Forks High School had a terrifying total only three hundred and fifty-seven, now fifty-eight, students. There were more than seven hundred people in my junior class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together – they probably wouldn't welcome the new girl from the big city. I would be a curiosity, a freak.

It would be like elementary school all over again.

And middle school...

And 9th grade...

I shuddered in horror.

Just thinking about it made my skin itch. I hadn't been well liked in my school back in Phoenix. But at least I had my mom to hug me at the end of the day. I thought of the stiff hug Charlie had given me earlier. It wouldn't be the same.

I wished, not for the first time, that I looked more like other girls from Phoenix. I could have worked that to my advantage. If only I was tan, sporty, blonde - like Christy, the volleyball player at my old school, or a cheerleader, like Michelle, my ex-best friend who had dropped me to hang out with Christy, had been. They had all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun and they never let me forget it. I was pale, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine.

I'd never been able to tan believe me, I tried. Instead, I burned and had to wear sunscreen all the time if I didn't want to look like a lobster. I had always been thin, but not an athlete. I did not have the necessary hand-eye coordination to play sports without humiliating myself - and harming both myself and anyone else who stood too close. I was clumsy and uncoordinated. I was always bumping into things, stubbing my toes, tripping over my own two feet, and injuring myself. Sometimes it felt like my body was trying to reject me. It was a shame that my skin bruised so easily. At least I healed fast.

When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp, brown hair. Maybe it was the light, but already I looked sallower, unhealthy. My skin could be pretty - I snorted -but it all depended on color.

I had no color here.

Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It was not just physically that I would never fit in. Moreover, if I could not find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here? I did not relate well to people my age.

Maybe the truth was that I did not relate well to people, period. Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. However, the cause did not matter. All that mattered was the effect, and tomorrow would be just the beginning.

I did not sleep well that night. I spent half of it crying and the constant whooshing of the rain and across the roof would not fade into the background. I pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. However, I could not fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle. When I opened my eyes, thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me.

I missed my clear, blue sky.

Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked him, and prayed his hope wasn't wasted.

Good luck tended to avoid me.

Charlie left first, off to the police station. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unlatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing was changed.

My mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of my school pictures up to last year's. I felt embarrassed, but I was also pleased that Charlie had been thinking of me.

It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over my mom. It made me sad because I knew I was partially, if not fully, responsible for my mom's abandonment. I stared at the wedding picture for a few moments before the guilt finally made me turn away.

I did not want to be too early to school, but I could not stay in the house anymore. I donned my jacket - which Charlie had been nice enough to buy and headed out into the rain. It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that Charlie had given me and locked up. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots was weird but it was better than being barefoot.

I could not pause and admire my truck again, as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood. Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and, surprisingly, peppermint with a hint of musk. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly roaring to life and then idling at top. The antique radio worked, which was a plus.

Finding the school was not difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it the Forks High School, made me stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I could not see its size at first.

I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. I stepped nervously out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges.

I took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I had hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there was not enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front.

There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed. The red-haired woman looked up.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm Isabella Swan," I informed her, and she smiled politely. I had expected to be a topic of gossip. The daughter of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last. But the woman didn't seem to recognize the name.

"Can you repeat that?" she asked, looking through the folders.

"Isabella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter." I added.

"Of course," she said, nodding.

She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk until she found the ones she was looking for.

"I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show me. I hesitantly took the papers.

"Okay Ms. Swan. Here is a list of all your classes, that there, is your locker number and combination. "She explained, as she went through my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each teacher sign, which I was to bring back at the end of the day.

"Any questions?" She asked, and I shook my head.

"Good, you until the end of the month to find an extracurricular activity. Here's a list of clubs. The ones with the X's by them are all full, Okay?" She said.

"Okay," I repeated quietly.

She smiled at me and hoped, like Charlie, that I would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could. When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. At home, I had lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. There was a black motorcycle, which was awesome, and it stood out. Still, I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the deafening volume would not draw attention to me.

I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hopefully I would not have to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. I stuffed everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath.

I can do this, I lied to myself feebly.

No one was going to bite me.

I finally exhaled and stepped out of the truck. I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with teenagers. Most of them were wearing colorful hoodies and coats.

I felt a little insecure about my plain black jacket. Mom had brought me a striped, rainbow colored hoodie that I had hung in the back of my closet. I'd been afraid that it would stand out.

Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. I felt my breathing gradually creeping toward hyperventilation as I approached the door.

"Relax, it's just a classroom." a deep, rich, husky voice called from somewhere to my left.

I turned around and saw a man leaning against the wall with one foot propped against the wall while the other long leg braced holding him upright under a shelter. His eyes were lowered to a piece of paper in his free hand. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt, a brown leather jacket, and a tight pair of black jeans that looked molded to fit the heavy muscles and show off those long legs.

He glanced up, meeting my eyes, and I stopped breathing.

**He was hot!**

Ripped body, gorgeous russet skin, and passionate dark eyes. Dark, cropped, black hair that covered his head like an inky, gloss like satin. His neck and shoulders were thick like his legs. He looked like he could be in college or a teacher here rather than a student.

He looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered on the planet. My lungs started burn and I realized I wasn't breathing. I let out the breath I was holding and his eyes hardened. He looked at me with surprise and a glint of wariness. Then he pushed off the wall and walked towards me with the confident swagger of a bad boy who lived dangerously and loved every minute of it.

I was frozen, unable to take my eyes off him.

"Welcome to Forks, Bella," he said as he walked past me, ignoring the rain.

"I'm sure they'll love you, babe."

By the time I regained control of myself, he was gone.

_**Oh my God! **_

The first time a cute guy talks to me and I forgot how to talk. I had the worst luck ever. I paused. How did he know my name? I shook my head. I would worry about that later. I took a deep breath and tried not to feel stupid as I followed two unisex rain coats, through the door.

The classroom was small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, who were debating whether Pokeshipping was better than Amourshipping- whatever that was- one a porcelain colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair.

I sighed in relief.

At least my skin wouldn't be a standout here. I took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He barely glanced at me when he saw my name. He just sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. My new classmates looked curiously in my direction but after a while they ignored me.

I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting... and boring. I wondered if my mom would send me my folder of old essays, or if she would think that was cheating.

I went through different arguments with her in my head until the teacher yelled at me to pay attention.

I blushed, red as a tomato, and stuttered an apology.

The class split into groups for some a project on the Bronte sisters. I worked silently by myself.

It was just like being backed home. All I needed was for Christy to show up and call me The Ugly Swan and it would be just like a regular school day in Phoenix.

When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, my clumsiness screwed me over. I accidentally knocked my stuff of my desk, making some of the other kids snicker as they left. Mr. Mason looked at me with pity. I knew I was a clumsy, nervous, wreck. Even my English teacher felt sorry for me. Mr. Mason called a gangly boy with hair black as an oil slick, who had been about to leave his desk.

He said something quietly to the boy while I was putting my stuff back in my bag. I looked away not wanting to seem nosey when someone's shadow stood over me. I looked up and saw the boy Mr. Mason had been talking to.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He asked.

"Bella," I corrected, standing up.

"Where's your next class?" he asked, bluntly.

I had to check in my bag. "Um…Government, with Jefferson, in building six." I stuttered, a bit confused.

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way..." he trailed off.

"That would be nice," I said, cautiously.

There had to be a catch.

"I'm Eric," he added.

I smiled tentatively. "Thanks."

We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up.

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

I snorted. "Very." I said.

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?" He asked.

"Three or four times a year." I knew because I hated those days most.

"Wow, what must that be like?" he wondered.

"Sunny," I told him.

"You don't look very tan." He said, looking me over. I laughed nervously.

"My mother is part albino." I joked.

He studied my face apprehensively, and I sighed. Why did I say that? I sucked at telling jokes. My mother was the only one who ever laughed at them. We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked me right to the door, though it was clearly marked.

"Well, good luck," he said as I touched the handle.

"Maybe we'll have some other classes together." I asked, hoping to have made a friend.

"Yeah, maybe. " he said, vaguely.

I smiled and went inside. The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. My Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated, anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made me stand in front of the class and introduce myself. I stammered, blushed, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat. Making a fool of myself.

I felt tears build my eyes but I held them back.

_I was not going to cry..._

_I wasn't going to cry..._

After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. Sometimes someone would ask me questions about how I liked Forks. But mostly they barely paid attention to me. One girl, Jessica, sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights.

She was nice enough talk to me about the teachers and classes. I smiled and followed her unsurely. The girls at my old school hadn't talked to me much. Not unless they wanted to insult me or use me for something.

We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. The boy from English, Eric, passed by our table and sent a small wave in my direction before going to sit with his friends. It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven strangers, that I first saw him.

He was sitting in the center of the cafeteria, not that far away, from where I sat in the long room. He was sitting with two other boys. They were talking loudly, and they were eating, each had a tall tray of food in front of them. However, none of these things was what caught and held my attention.

They looked all look alike almost as if they were brothers. Of the three boys, one was tall, slender, with long rounded muscles, cropped black hair, and brown eyes. Another was slightly shorter than the first but more muscular, with brown eyes, and black hair in a buzz cut. The boy from this morning was taller than the other two, he was more muscular too. He also looked as if he was more mature than the others were.

The three of them had the same russet skin, the darkest of all the students living in this sunless town. They were definitely darker than I, the albino, was. They all had very dark eyes and dark hair. However, that is not, why I could not look away.

I stared because their faces, with small differences, yet so alike, were all devastatingly handsome. The planes of their faces were hardened and tight making them look older than most high school students. In addition, their bodies had muscles you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a body fitness magazine or painted by an artist as the bodies of warriors. It was not hard for me to decide who was the most handsome, the tallest of the three.

The one who somehow knew my name even though never met him. They were all looking at each other and not paying attention to the other students. As I watched, the shortest boy rose with his empty tray, which looked like it had been licked clean, and walked away quickly and confidently as if he owned the place. I watched, amazed till he dumped his tray and stormed through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who were laughing and joking around.

I looked at the boy feeling the same fluttering as before.

"Who is he?" I asked Jessica.

She looked up to see whom I meant.

"You mean Jacob?" she asked, loudly.

Suddenly he looked up as though he had heard her, the more muscular one, the mature one, the oldest, perhaps. He looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second then they flickered to mine and the look in his eyes made me shiver. He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flush of embarrassment I dropped my eyes at once.

In that brief flash of a glance, his eyes were cold, measuring, and haunted by a shimmering intensity - it was as if he had looked into my very soul and saw something no one else could. My neighbor giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table as I did.

"That's Jacob Black, and Embry Call. The one who left was Quill Atera; they all live in La Push," she said this under her breath.

I glanced sideways at the sort of beautiful boy now revealed to be Jacob Black, who was staring at his empty tray now, his hand, where they gripped the life out of a carton of milk, looked enormous, with tendons and vein prominent under his russet skin. His mouth was moving as he talked to those at his table. I stared at his lips in a daze before finally turning my attention elsewhere. The one called Embry looked worried and glanced in my direction a couple of times.

Strange names, I thought. The kinds of names you picked out of a book or heard on a soap opera. However, maybe they were popular or in vogue here - small town names? Jacob Black; not an unusual name but it sounded familiar as though I heard it before. I finally remembered that my dad's friend Billy's last name was Black, a perfectly common name.

"They are... very nice-looking." I struggled with the conspicuous understatement.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle.

"They're always together though and I heard that they are a part of some sort of gang in La Push." Her voice held shock and condemnation, I thought critically. However, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip.

"There in a gang?" I asked. I realized I sounded impressed.

"They don't have the same last name?" I asked.

"They look related..."

"Oh, they're not. They just look similar. Five others look like them in the gang too. There is a girl too."

"Where are the others?" I asked, curious.

"Two of them graduated and the others go to school in La Push. The oldest ones, I think their names are Sam and Leah, are both twenty, but they've been in the gang since two years ago but it's not really a bad gang. They do not start fights they keep the peace. They call themselves 'The Protectors' or something like that. I think that they get bad boys back on the right track"

"That's really kind of nice for them to protect people and help the boys get their lives together, when they're so young and everything."

"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she did not like them for some reason.

With the glances she was throwing at their way, I would presume the reason was that one of them was her ex -boyfriend. But I could be wrong.

"I heard that Leah can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.

Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered repeatedly to the table where the strange boys sat. The other boy, Quill I think, came back and they all looked as though they were arguing over something.

"Have they always gone to school here in Forks?" I asked.

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just transferred here last year around the same time as the Cullen actually."

I felt a surge of pity, and relief. Pity because, as handsome as they were, they were outsiders and clearly not accepted. Relief that I was not the only newcomer here, and certainly not the most interesting, by any standard. As I examined them, mostly the oldest looking boy, Jacob, he looked completely out of place in the cafeteria with his dark eyes and hard expression, as if he were the tragic hero come to life out of one of my novels. He was like nothing I had ever seen before in my life. He looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression.

Part of me wanted to look away the other part wanted to stare into those mesmerizing dark eyes forever. As I looked away blushing, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation.

"What's the deal with Jacob?" I asked.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me with a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again.

"Oh, Jacob, he is gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He does not date longer than a week.

Apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him. Just like that Edward Cullen, but I suspect that he's gay because he never dates any girls at all," she sniffed a clear case of sour grapes.

I wondered when they had both turned her down. I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling too.

After a few more minutes, the three of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful; even though they were so big and tall. It was unsettling to watch. The one named Jacob did not look at me again.

I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I had been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. Angela, one of my new acquaintances, had Biology II with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence. She was shy, too.

When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a blacktopped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but one. Next to the center aisle, I saw an open seat next to Jacob.

As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. The second he saw me, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face. It was open and happy, like I had just made his day then just as quickly it turned cold and closed. I thought that his eyes flashed silver for a second. I looked away quickly, shocked, going red again.

Mr. Banner signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to send me to the one open seat in the middle of the room. I kept my eyes down as I went to sit by him, bewildered by the penetrating stare he had given me. I stumbled over a book in the walkway and just as I was falling, Jacob caught me then let me go so quickly I thought I imagined it. The girl sitting there giggled. I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was scooted his chair closer to mine, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair, and staring at me like I was dessert.

Inconspicuously, I sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odor. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.

Unfortunately, the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down. I could not stop myself from peeking occasionally through the screen of my hair at the strange boy next to me. During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair. I could see his hands were clenched into fists. These, too, he never relaxed. He had taken off his jacket to reveal a tight sleeveless black top and his forearm was unsurprisingly hard and muscular beneath his dark skin. He definitely worked out, a lot.

"Hi" he drawled suddenly in a smooth masculine voice. "My name is Jacob," he said.

When I did not say anything, he tried again. "Jacob Black" he said and I snapped out of my daze.

I held out my hand to shake his. "I'm," I stated but he cut me off.

"Bella Swan, I know," he said shaking my hand but instead of letting it go, he slowly brought it up to his lips and kissed it, making my cheeks turn red. I gasped in surprise. His skin burned as if it were on fire. I pulled my hand back and Jacob gave me an amused look then opened his mouth to say something and paused as if he heard someone calling him.

"I have to go" he said standing up. He looked down at me with a dark smirk.

"I'll see you again later," he said, with a wink, before walking out the class ignoring the teacher's demands for him to go back to his seat.

After he was gone, I looked down at my hand and was surprised to see it was unchanged. I looked up and saw Jacob watching me through the door. He gave me a look and mouthed words that I could not figure out before leaving. I put my hand that was still burning to my chest to still my racing heart. How did he know my name? What was wrong with him? Did he have a fever? Was that his normal behavior? I questioned my judgment on Jessica's bitterness at lunch today; if that was his normal attitude then I could see how Jessica might have thought she had a chance.

He probably flirted with all the girls. It couldn't have anything to do with me. He didn't know me from Eve. At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump. I guess class was over. I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to block the nervous thrill that I might see Jacob in the hallway.

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" a male voice asked.

I looked up to see a cute, baby-faced boy; his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in a friendly way.

"Bella," I corrected him, with a smile.

"I'm Mike."

"Hi, Mike."

"Do you need any help finding your next class?"

"I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it."

"That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled, though it wasn't that big of a coincidence in a school this small.

We walked to class together; he was a chatterer - he supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for me. He'd lived in California till he was ten, so he knew how I felt about the sun. It turned out he was in my English class also. He was the nicest person I'd met today.

But as we were entering the gym, he asked, "So, what did you say to Jacob Black? I've never seen him act like that."

I cringed. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed. And, apparently, that wasn't Jacob's usual behavior. I decided to play dumb.

"Was that the boy I sat next to in Biology?" I asked artlessly.

"Yes," he said. "He looked like he was about to eat you or something before he rushed out."

"I don't know," I responded.

"He's a weird guy." Mike lingered by me instead of heading to the dressing room. "If I sat by you, I would have talked to you instead of running off."

I forced myself to smile at him before walking through the girls' locker room door. He was friendly and seemed like he'd make a decent friend. But it wasn't enough to ease my irritation at him for calling Jacob Black weird. I felt oddly defensive over him and I didn't know why. The Gym teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform but didn't make me dress down for today's class. At home, only two years of RE. Were required. Here, P.E. was mandatory all four years. Forks was literally my personal hell on Earth.

I watched four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained - and inflicted - playing volleyball, I felt faintly nauseated. The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.

When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out. Jacob Black stood at the desk in front of me. "We meet again Bella," he said with a slow, seductive smirk.

"H-Hi," I said nervously.

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling my hair around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Jacob's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare behind me with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind. I looked behind me seeing a flash of bronze hair before the door closed. He turned back to me.

"I have to go," he said softly. Then reached out and moved my hair out of my face.

"You be careful. I'll see you around," he said. And he turned on his heels, giving me a grin, before he disappeared out the door.

I went meekly to the desk, my face red, and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.

"Fine," I lied, my voice weak and high-pitched. It's not like I had this really cool, handsome guy flirting with me and making my heart feel like it was going to leap out of my chest at any moment or anything. She didn't look convinced.

When I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this damp green hole. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon I was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I headed back to Charlie's house, fighting the dark blush on my face the whole way there.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note: Hello everybody! I hope you are all doing good in the new year!<strong>_

_**I finally finished editing chapter one and I think I did A good job.**_

_**I hope you all enjoy it. If you did(or if you didn't) review or Pm your thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. **_

_**let me know what you thought!**_

_**As always: Constructive criticism welcome! No flames, Please!**_


	3. Chapter 2: Open Book

**Daybreak**

**Summary: What if Bella had met Alpha Jacob before Edward? What if Jacob went to the same high school as Bella? How would these change things?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! All characters belong to Stephanie Myer. There will be no song lyrics or any other violations of the guidelines in this fiction.**

* * *

><p><strong>A Werewolf Joke<strong>

**Q: How do you stop a werewolf chasing you?**

**A: Throw a stick and say fetch!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO: OPEN BOOK<strong>

_**To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.**_

_**-Margaret Thatcher**_

* * *

><p>The next day was... not as bad as it could have been.<p>

When I woke up it wasn't raining, though the clouds were dense and gray. I rolled out of bed and fell on the floor.

"Why?" I groaned, struggling to get to my feet.

After I got dressed, dark jeans and a plaid shirt with the rainbow jacket my mom brought, I sluggishly made my way downstairs. Charlie made breakfast which I was grateful for. I was tired. I still couldn't sleep with the rain pelting the house last night and I missed my mom. It was a simple meal of toast and bacon, but it was the thought that counted. Last time someone surprised me with breakfast I had to put out a kitchen fire. Mom had thought it would be nice to make a flaming omelet for breakfast.

Charlie tried to make conversation. "Any plans today?" he asked, reading the paper.

I shook my head. "No, not today," I said, doing the crossword.

We fell into an awkward silence as we both struggled to find something interesting to talk about. We had talked about my first day of school last night at dinner so there wasn't really much left to say.

"Did you tell Billy I said thanks for the truck?" I asked.

Charlie nodded, looking appreciative for the topic choice.

"Yeah, Billy was happy that you liked it. He'd had his son do the repairs on it," Charlie said, taking a sip of his coffee.

I hated the taste of coffee. It was always too bitter for me, no matter how much sugar and cream I dumped in it, but I loved the smell. There was no better wake up call than the smell of roasted coffee.

"His son?" I asked.

Charlie nodded.

"Yeah, his son is really good with cars and he's around your age. As a matter of fact you two go to the same school and you used to play together when you were younger. Don't you remember Ja-_Shoot_!" Charlie cut himself off glancing at the clock.

"I got to get to the station," he said, standing up.

I stood up too and Charlie handed me some lunch money.

"Tell your friends lunch is on you today, Kiddo," he said, before grabbing his things and rushing to the door.

"Bye, Dad. Have a nice…" I started but the door slammed before I could finish.

"Day," I mumbled, quietly to the empty air where he had been standing.

I gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink before grabbing my backpack and heading to school.

In school, I looked around for Jacob Black, my heart fluttering at the thought of his obvious flirting, but I didn't see him anywhere. Part of me wanted to face him and demand to know why he was teasing me. Because there was no possible way he could be interested in me. He barely knew me. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made Courage the Cowardly Dog look tough.

Mike saved me a seat in English, which I was thankful for because someone was sitting where I had sat yesterday and there were no other seats. Mr. Mason came in the room and wrote something on the board.

**Write a thank you note to a friend who gave you onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum. **

When no one else in the class seemed surprised by the weird assignment, I leaned over to Mike.

"Does he do this often?" I asked.

Mike shrugged.

"No one questions Mr. Mason's assignments." Mike said and turned back to his notebook.

I looked down at my notebook and tried to think of what to write. If someone did give me some onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum I don't know what I'd say. The only person I knew who would even try something like that was my mom. I tried to picture what I would say if my mom brought me some onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum.

* * *

><p><em>"Bella, guess what I got at that the grocery store!" My mom said, rushing into the house.<em>

_I looked up from my book and found her holding a pack of gum._

_"Where's the groceries?" I asked, standing up._

_Mom looked confused for a second before laughing._

_"I guess I forgot. I was just so excited about this," she said, handing me the gum._

_I looked down, reading the label._

_"Onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum?" I questioned._

_Mom nodded excitedly._

_"Isn't it great? I know how much you like gum and that you like garlic." She stated._

_"I like Garlic Bread and I don't like gum. That was your friend Mya." I pointed out._

_"Oh," Mom said, her shoulders slumping as she pouted like a small child._

_I sighed feeling guilty._

_"Look Mom-" I started._

* * *

><p>I picked up my pencil and started writing.<p>

**Dear friend,**

**Thank you for the Onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum. I'm sure it will be delicious and flavorsome. I've never tried anything like it before but I like garlic bread and I don't hate bubble gum or onions. How bad could it be, right? You are a very creative and interesting person. Life with you is never boring.**

**Sincerely,**

**Bella**

After the prompt we did some independent reading until class was over. Eric greeted me briefly before leaving class with his friends. I turned in my thank you note and said bye to Mike before heading to my next class. I walked quickly with my head down trying not to attract any unwanted attention. But I was worried for nothing. No one spared me a glance. I wasn't even a blip on their radar.

In government, Mr. Jefferson talked about The Concept of Scarcity and Opportunity Cost. We read about the types of economic systems and the mixed economy. It was boring. I couldn't wait for that class to be over. I take back what I said. Government was a piece of cake compared to the hell I had to deal with next.

I hated Math class with a fiery passion. I hated the numbers. I hated the problems. I hated my teacher; Mr. Varner and I especially hated surprise math quizzes.

I was full of regret in Spanish class. Back in Phoenix I had been taking French, so I didn't understand anything Mrs. Goff was saying. Jessica tried to help but it was hopeless. I only knew a couple numbers and a few colors.

I hated having to ask her for help. Back in Phoenix, I had been a straight A student. I never had to ask anyone for help. If I didn't know something I went to the library and figured it out myself. It wasn't like anyone would have helped me at my old school anyway. I was the weird, pale, quiet girl with the strange mom. I had absolutely no social life so I used to do all my homework during lunch and do extra credit when I got home. Books and my mom were my only friends. And now that I moved to Forks I had lost not only my mom, I'd also lost the only real friend I had.

I looked down at my bitten down fingernails wishing I could go home. Jessica tapped me on my shoulder and I realized class was over. Just as well, my thoughts were getting kind of Jessica and I walked into the cafeteria, I saw Jacob and his friends were sitting together at their table. I blushed, remembering the way he acted the day before.

Mike caught us and steered us to his table. Jessica turned pink and quickly sat next to Mike unable to stop smiling, I sat next to her and her friends quickly joined us. Jessica's friends, who I was sure still didn't really like me all that much, were still excluding me from their conversations so I sat quietly watching Jacob and his friends from the corner of my eye.

"Oh, the Cullens are here today," Jessica said.

I nodded.

"That's nice," I said barely glancing to see who she was talking about.

Jacob suddenly looked away from his friends and started to look around the lunch room. His hungry gaze swept around the lunchroom, searching, until his dark gaze met mine. I could swear his irises darkened with something primitive, something that I didn't quite understand. I tried to look away, but I was frozen. Jacob gave me a wicked smirk that made my head spin.

Stop looking at him…

He tilted his head curiously.

**Stop looking at him…**

He bumped his friend on the shoulder and said something never breaking our staring contest.

_**Stop looking at him…**_

He was standing up. Oh my god, he was standing up!

_**For The Love Of God, Stop Looking At Him You idiot!**_

Jessica laughed at something Mike said before turning to me.

"Bella, where's your lunch?" she asked, breaking the spell.

"Huh," I said, turning to look at her.

"Where's your lunch?" she asked again.

I looked down at the empty table in front of me and I realized I had forgotten to get it.

"I don't know," I mumbled, feeling stupid.

Everyone at the table staring at me like I was abnormal and I felt like I was sinking. I hated being the center of attention. I blushed before getting up and making my chair fall over. I was shaking as I picked it up, cursing my clumsiness.

"I'll go get my lunch now," I said, trying not to trip in my haste to get away.

I was silently beating myself up for being so weird on my second day of school while I was in the lunch line grabbing food. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the money Charlie gave me for lunch so that I could treat my friends. I was surprised to find a fifty. Charlie must not have been looking when he gave me this. I put it back in my pocket and pulled out the money I had left from yesterday. I'd give Charlie back his money when I got home.

"Hey," a familiar confident, husky voice called from behind me. My heart lurked in my throat and my pulse skipped a beat.

I turned and found Jacob Black standing there with his lips curled wickedly at the corners.

"You aren't going to get the pizza? That's the best part!" he said, putting it on my plate.

"I don't want any pizza today," I said, putting it back.

Jacob grabbed the slice again and put it on his already full tray.

"Well, don't mind if I do, honey" he drawled. His attractive face was friendly but his eyes were cautious. As if he were planning each move he made carefully. I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything.

"So, what's up, Bells," he continued. "Are you having a good day? I know I am, now that I've seen your beautiful face."

My mind was spinning with confusion. Why was he still talking to me? I thought maybe it was a prank or something. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.

"W-why do you keep calling me that?" I stammered.

He chuckled and arched an eyebrow. "Oh, you don't like it?" he asked.

I frowned. That wasn't it.

"No," I blurted, unthinkingly. "I meant, why do you keep calling me Bells?"

He responded with a slow, sexy, grin that made my breath catch in my throat and a shiver run down my spine.

"Do you want me to call you Isabella?" he whispered in my ear in a low voice that hummed across my senses.

I was dumbfounded by his sudden closeness.

"N-no, I like Bells," I spluttered hastily, blushing and taking a step back.

"Charlie - I mean my dad – is the only one who calls me Bells. But he must call me Isabella when I'm not around because that's what people are calling me here," I rambled, feeling like a complete moron.

"Oh." He said tilting his head to the side curiously, taking a step forward, and closing the distance between us.

I took another step backward, clutching my tray and looking away awkwardly from his scorching gaze.

"Do I make you nervous, honey?" he asked, eyes lighting up in amusement.

"N-no!" I lied, horribly and winced.

Why was I so weird? I couldn't tell a lie without my voice cracking and turning all squeaky. Jacob snickered, making me flush, before moving away from me so I could regain control of my rapidly beating heart.

"Don't worry, Bells. I'm sure the chief doesn't call you Isabella behind your back," he reassured me before continuing talking.

He made up funny stories about the people in line ahead of me and warned me not to try the chicken patties. It was hard to resist the urge to gawk at him. He was trying to make me at ease in his presence and I couldn't believe it was working.

By the time I made it back to Jessica's table, I was more relaxed and comfortable than before. Everyone was looking at me when I sat down and I wondered why. I had forgotten all about the forgotten-lunch-tipped-over-chair fiasco.

"Were you talking to Jacob Black?" Jessica asked, giggling in my ear.

I wondered why she was giggling. Was there something going on? Was that conversation with Jacob a make fun of the new girl prank?

"He's not laughing at me, is he?" I couldn't help asking.

"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"

I sighed, relieved.

"I think he likes me," I confided.

I felt my cheeks turn red and I put my head down on my arm.

"You're kidding, right? You don't seem like the type of girl Jacob usually goes for…" she started but then looked at his table.

"Oh, he's staring at you!" she squealed.

"Stop looking at him," I hissed.

She snorted and looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted. I glanced his way to see if she was telling the truth. At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine. He smirked and winked at me. I looked away quickly, concealing my face with my hair. After lunch, Jacob walked me to biology.

"It sucks the rain stopped." Jacob commented.

"Not really," I answered honestly, not like I was a good liar in the first place.

"You don't like the rain?" he question, flabbergasted.

"Or the wet." I added.

"But the rain is awesome! The sweet smell of the cleansing of the earth! Rain is the best for dancing in," he did a smooth spin that I probably would have broken my foot if I tried to copy it.

"Rain brings people closer together," he said, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"It's good for standing under an umbrella together or staying inside under the covers and…" he trailed off as we walked into class.

"I don't like the rain and I never will." I mumbled, bitterly.

"Well, Forks must be the perfect place for you then," he joked, not fazed by my mood shift.

"You have no idea," I muttered darkly.

He looked curious about what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine.

"So why did you come here, then?" he asked, as we sat down.

No one had asked me that - not straight out like he did.

"It's...complicated." I stumbled, surprised by his bluntness.

"I love a challenge," he pressed.

I paused for a long moment and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze.

His dark eyes seemed to be imploring me to tell him and I answered without thinking.

"My mother got remarried," I said, trying to keep the sadness out of my voice.

"And you don't like him," Jacob stated.

"No, Phil is fine. I still think he's too young for my mother, but he's a nice enough guy." I said, trying not to be bitter.

"Why didn't you stay with them?" Jacob asked.

"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." I gave him a crooked smile.

"Have I heard of him?" he asked, smiling in response.

"Probably not. He's not that good and he moves around a lot." I explained.

"Did your mother send you here so that she could travel with him," He asked.

My chin raised a fraction in defense of my mother. She would never do anything like that. My mom loved me. She just loved Phil a little bit more.

"No, she did not send me here. I sent myself." I boasted.

He smirked.

"You wanted to give them a little privacy to make your mother happy," he stated, dead on the money.

I sighed. How did he know that?

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy...," I paused.

'And made me feel useless' I added silently.

"So, I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." I finished.

"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.

"And?" I challenged.

"That doesn't seem fair." He said, eyes growing dark as he considered me.

I laughed without humor.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."

"Yeah, I've heard that a lot," he agreed, chuckling darkly.

"So that's all," I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way.

His gaze became devious.

"You're sad but not as sad as you thought you'd be," he stated.

"I'd be willing to bet that you like it here more than you thought you would." He said, smirking.

I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away.

"Am I wrong?" he asked, self-assuredly.

I tried to ignore him.

"I didn't think so," he murmured arrogantly.

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, irritated.

I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds.

"Because I like you," he stated, frankly.

"W-what?" I stumbled, dropping my pencil.

Jacob calmly bent and picked up my pencil.

"I…Like…You," he said, putting an emphasis on each word to make sure I heard him.

I blushed and couldn't think of anything to say in response. I had never been very tactful; I had no practice dealing with blunt, hot, overly friendly boys.

Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my lackluster life to this strange, good-looking boy who may or may not like me.

"Didn't mean to make you speechless, babe. You look like I just told you said something dirty! It's not like I told you …" he paused, glancing to make sure Mr. Banner wasn't paying attention, and closed his eyes. He sat up straighter and relaxed. I hadn't even realized how tense he was until he wasn't anymore. The air around him changed like he was becoming a different person.

He opened his eyes and they were the same as when I met his gaze in the lunch room only much more intense.

"I want you, Bella," he drawled, low in my ear so no one would over hear. "Right here, right now. On top of this desk and I don't care who watches. Your mine and I'm going to make you feel so good that you won't care either,"

I don't know what face I made but it must have had one hell of an expression because Jacob couldn't hold himself together. He grinned like he'd won the lottery.

"I'm kidding, Bella," he said, and I sighed, my cheeks flushed as I gazed at the blackboard trying to make myself to sink into the ground.

"I'm bugging you," he stated.

He sounded pleased.

I glanced at him.

"No, I'm more annoyed at myself. People always love to tease me. My face is so easy to read. My mother always calls me her open book." I admitted.

"Yeah, you are really easy to read." He grinned.

"You must be a good reader then," I replied, in a teasing tone.

"Oh I am," he bragged.

"But only when I like the book." He joked, smiling broadly and flashing a set of flawless, white teeth.

He'd seemed to enjoy our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that even though he was leaning closer to me again and smiling, his hands were gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.

I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner gave us our assignment but Jacob kept distracting me with some joke or story. By the end of class we had been glared at by Mr. Banner at least 4 times and shushed by our classmate twice.

I was disheartened when I had to go to gym.

"Well, I'll catch you later, honey" he said as he rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had yesterday. And, like yesterday, I stared after him in amazement.

Mike came to talk to me as we walked to class.

"So, are you and Jacob friends now?" he asked, clearly displeased.

I shrugged, and glanced in the direction that Jacob had walked away to.

"Maybe," I said, quietly hiding a smile.

"But he's in a gang!" Mike protested. "And he has a tattoo and rides a motorcycle!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"So," I said, bluntly.

Mike looked as surprised as I felt. I didn't mean for it to come out like that.

"Your dad is the Chief of police. I'm sure he's not going to be okay with that," Mike added.

I turned pale as I thought about introducing Charlie to my new friend Jacob Black, gang member.

Mike looked victorious when I didn't say anything. He talked all the way to gym about how happy he was that I was coming to work at his parents shop this weekend and an upcoming trip to the beach. I stayed quiet not in the mood to talk anymore.

And if I kept hitting Mike Newton in the back of the head with the volleyball it was only because I was clumsy.

When the school day was finally done, I changed quickly back into clothes and I hurried from the girls' locker room, satisfied to find that I had successfully evaded Mike for the moment. I walked quickly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed.

Last night I'd learned that Charlie couldn't cook much besides toast, fried eggs and bacon. I also found out that other than bread and bacon he had no food in the house. So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. I used to cook all the meals back home and I felt more comfortable when I had a task to do. So, I had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD MONEY and I was on my way to the supermarket.

I gunned my deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction, and backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As I waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car, I saw Jacob and his friends, Embry and Quil, and some other big guys talking at the edge of the parking lot.

They were all wearing cut-off jeans and sleeveless shirts, holding their jackets in their hands. But with their remarkable good looks, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off. As far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if being extremely well built and hot bought them any acceptance from the people here.

They looked at my noisy truck as I passed them, just like everyone else. I kept my eyes straight forward and was relieved when I finally was free of the school grounds. The Thriftway was not far from the schools, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home and I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly.

The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof to remind me where I was. When I got home, I unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever I could find an open space. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge.

When I was finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my damp hair up into a ponytail, and checked my e-mail for the first time. I had three messages.

**"Bella," my mom wrote...**

**Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi.**

**-Mom.**

I laughed, so happy I could have cried as I went to the next.

She missed me. I was afraid that she would forget about me.

**"Bella," she wrote...**

**Why haven't you e-mailed me yet? What are you waiting for?**

**-Mom.**

The last was from this morning.

**Isabella,**

**If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p.m. today I'm calling Charlie.**

I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but my mom was well known for jumping the gun. I loved that about her.

**Mom,**

**Everything is good. Of course it's raining. I was waiting for something to write about. School isn't bad, though I am having some problems with math. I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch and I've made a few friends.**

**There's this girl Jessica who is really nice. She welcomed me into her group with open arms. She's helping me with Spanish.**

**There was this boy Eric who I thought was going to be my friend, but I'm starting to suspect that the only reason he talked to me is because Mr. Mason, my English teacher, told him to.**

**There's this other boy Mike. he's nice and very helpful, but today he made me really mad. I may have hit him with a volleyball a couple times as payback. I'll apologize tomorrow.**

**And mom, I met this guy. He's amazing! He's the hottest guy I've ever seen. He flirts a lot and he makes me nervous, but I can't remember ever being so comfortable with anyone, other than you, in my life! I think he likes me, but don't worry I'm not about to start dating.**

**Your blouse is at the dry cleaners - you were supposed to pick it up Friday.**

**Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, and it's red!**

**I miss you, too. I'll write again soon. I love you.**

**- Bella.**

Content with myself, I settled down on my bed and disappeared into my favorite book. The pages of the well loved novel were soft between my fingers as I flipped to where I had last left Jayne. I had read Jayne Eyre many times. I could tell the long story all the way through without difficulty and recite my favorite quotes as though I had written them myself. Yet, it was the only book I carried with me everywhere I went.

My grandma gave the book to me for my 6th birthday. The novel had already been well used and the cover jaggedly torn off. It had been my grandmother's favorite book. Now it was my small treasure.

I had just endured Mr. Rochester's dark secret when Charlie came home. I'd lost track of the time. I swiftly packed my tattered book back into my bag and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.

"Bella?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs.

"Hey, Dad, welcome home."

"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen.

As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily.

I knew why. I learned many things from my mother. Cooking wasn't one of them.

"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved.

He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table.

I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.

"Smells good, Bells."

"Thanks."

We ate in silence for a few minutes. I missed my mom's dinner talk. She used to ramble on and on, switching from topic to topic. I wished she were here or that I was there. Charlie seemed to sense my dip in mood. He coughed nervously making me glance at him.

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice," I said, leaving out Jacob .

I wasn't going to lie to him. If he asked me I'll tell him the truth.

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid from a nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here," Charlie said.

I felt guilty. I should just tell him about Jacob and if he forbid me from seeing him then I would have to accept it.

"Hey Dad," I mumbled.

"Yeah, Bella, " he answered

"Do you know the Protectors?" I asked hesitantly.

"You mean Sam's group? Sure. They're good people" He said.

"They...the boys that go to my school...are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well," I said.

Charlie surprised me by looking angry.

"People in this town," he muttered. "Sam Uley and his friends are great kids. Well, he's a man now. A real good guy. You should hear Billy talk about him and Jacob. He's really doing wonders with the youth on the reservation," he continued, getting louder.

"We're lucky to have him - lucky that his wife convinced the boys to go to school in Forks. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in; I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature. I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. They don't start fights, they keep the peace," He said proudly.

"There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah reservation, big guy too, scary looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids. Sam and Jake ran him off. Plus, they stick together the way friends should – hiking in the woods and cliff diving every other weekend. Just because they're newcomers, and don't fit in with the normal Forks population, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.

I was just happy that he didn't hate them.

"They seemed nice enough to me. They're all very attractive," I added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see Sam," Charlie said, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the women in this town have had their eye on him," He joked.

We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV and after I finished washing the dishes by hand, no dishwasher, I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my math homework. I could feel a tradition in the making. That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted.

The rest of the week was good. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.

Jacob Black had seemed to be balancing a thin line of flirting and avoiding me. I never saw him around school before lunch and I could never find him after biology. He was always running away the second the bell rang. It was really odd.

Jessica's friends seemed to warming up to me so I tried to join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered on a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go. Charlie had been hinting that I needed to get out of the house more.

By Friday, Mr. Banner was regretting sitting Jacob and I near each other. Jacob was constantly making me laugh and blush, distracting me from Mr. Banner's lecture. He was always glaring at us and telling us to pay attention. I was worried that Jacob was going to get me detention.

My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote my mom another email. My first day of work went well. Mrs. Newton gave me a vest and taught me how to use the register. I did drive to the library Saturday, but it was poorly stocked. I sat and read a few books from their small selection then I went home. I would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got and shuddered at the thought.

I used the rest of the weekend to read, fill up on junk food, watch movies on lifetime and just relax. It probably wouldn't be the most exciting weekend , but it was stress free and easy—exactly what I needed.

The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep well.

It was colder Monday morning but luckily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy.

All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here. But not as comfortable as I would be if my mom was here. Why did she have to divorce Charlie and marry Phil? It would be nice to have someone to talk to about everything.

When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."

I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.

"Ugh, stupid snow, " I said. There went my good day.

He looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes."

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure I have." I paused. "On TV."

Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us - in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet, cold stuff, I go inside."

He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the New Year. I kept my mouth shut not wanting to be a buzzkill. Sure, it was drier than rain - until it melted in your socks.

I walked to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at me herself.

Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were four people at the table.

Jessica pulled on my arm.

"Hello? Bella? What do you want?"

I looked down and shook my head . Who was that?

"What's with Bella?" Mike asked Jessica.

"Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.

"Actually, I feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor.

I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to the table, my eyes on my feet.

I sipped my soda slowly, a weird twist in my stomach. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how I was feeling. I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I should play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour. Ridiculous, I know. I decided to permit myself one glance at Jacob's table.

I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little. They were laughing. Jacob, Quil, and Embry all had their hair wet with water from the melting snow. Suddenly Jacob and Quil leaned away as Embry shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else - only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us. And she was the star. She was beautiful in an exotic way—perfect copper skin, glistening black hair, eyelashes like feather dusters— and leaning on Jacob's shoulder like a new girlfriend. Jacob wrapped his arm around her and laughed at something she said. I could see why he liked her. She was beautiful and funny.

But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something wrong, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that it was. I examined Jacob the most carefully. His skin was darker, I decided - flushed from the snow fight maybe - and he looked a little tired. They all looked tired...and tense. Even though they were all laughing and having a good time it all seemed fake. But there was something more. I pondered, staring, trying to isolate the change.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare.

Mike interrupted us then - he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. I kept silent not wanting to seem uncool. All they cared about was snow...and snow, and snow, and more snow. I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.

I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike - he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers - but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym.

Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I was doodling on the cover of my notebook.

I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing. I wasn't going to talk to him.

"Hey love, did you enjoy the snow day? " he asked, casually.

I rolled my eyes, not responding to his question .

"Wow, even when you're giving me the silent treatment you're sexy." He said, poking me in the side.

I couldn't help but look up and stare at him. His hair was no longer dripping wet, but it was disheveled - even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for a day at the beach. Jacob gave me a cocky smirk.

It took everything I had not to slap him. He was still flirting with me even though he had a girlfriend.

Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.

"Get started," he commanded.

"Ladies first, honey." Jacob stated.

I looked up to see him grin. He was so good looking, so handsome, that I could only stare at him like an idiot. I couldn't believe that he could still affect me like this. Why was I so weak?

"Or I could start." The grin turned into a smile; he was obviously enjoying the affect he had on me.

"No," I said, flushing. "I'll do it."

I was showing off, just a little. I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly.

My assessment was confident. "Prophase."

"You sure?" he asked as I began to remove the slide.

His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were burning, like he'd been holding them in a furnace before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us.

"Something wrong? " he asked, pulling his hand back slowly. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide.

"Prophase," he agreed, writing it sloppily in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily.

"Looks like Anaphase," he murmured. He turned to me and waggled his eyebrows. "Want to check?" he asked.

I kept my voice indifferent. "May I?"

He smirked and pushed the microscope to me.

I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right.

"Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking at him.

He handed it to me; it seemed like he was purposely trying to brush his fingers against my skin again.

I took the most fleeting look I could manage.

"Interphase." I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it.

"I'll take your word for it, " he said as he wrote it down. His sloppy, juvenile script amused me. If he had slid the paper toward me I would have let him keep writing. I was just glad I wasn't the one to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl.

We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table.

This left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him... unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of affection in his eyes. Suddenly, I identified that subtle difference in his features.

"Did you get taller?" I blurted out unthinkingly.

He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."

"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your body." I blushed after saying that.

He smirked, "Didn't know you were looking, like what you see." He said suggestively.

I blushed and looked away.

In fact, I was sure there was something different. I vividly remembered his being muscular like a bodybuilder but it seemed like he was even more toned. Today, I could see his face, higher up than I expected. Was it possible that he was growing? He had to be closer to seven feet than to six. I took in his features again - his deep-set eyes shadowed under his black brows, his high cheekbones, his alluring full lips stretched over his bright teeth in the beckoning smile that matched his tone.

I didn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying for some reason. Or, maybe Forks was making me crazy in the literal sense of the word.

His eyes were tight around the edges - careful. I looked down. His hands were clenched into hard fists.

Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Mr. Black, I see you can get your work finished when you put your mind to it. Did Isabella get a chance with the microscope too?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Actually," Jacob started. "Bells identified three of the five."

Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical.

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess its good you two are lab partners. Maybe you can convince Mr. Black to focus." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.

"It sucks the snow stopped." Jacob commented. I had the feeling we had this conversation before.

"Yeah, I'm sure you and your girlfriend were planning on going ice skating or something, " I mumbled, bitterly.

Jacob looked confused.

"What girlfriend? " he asked.

Yeah, play dumb.

"The one you were snuggling with during lunch," I said .

Jacob looked at me for a minute before chuckling.

"She's not my girlfriend, " he said.

"Of course she isn't. Let me guess, you're not exclusive," I snarked.

"She's exclusive, a one man kind of woman. I'm still looking or I was until I met you," he flirted, leaning his cheek against his hand.

I blinked.

"So, she's faithful to you and your still looking for someone to cheat on her with," I was so angry that I could kick him.

Jacob yawned, not bothered by my anger.

"She's faithful alright. But not to me," he stated .

"What? " I asked, puzzled.

Jacob grinned.

"She's married, Bella." He explained.

"Huh," my mouth hung open.

"That was Leah Clearwater. She's married to Sam. She dropped by because she had something she needed to tell me." He informed me.

"Oh," I mumbled, feeling stupid.

Jacob patted me on the back.

"It's ok, honey. You didn't know." He comforted me.

The bell rang signalling the end of class. Jacob groaned and kissed the back of my neck. I shivered, the kiss causing pleasant tingles to race down my spine.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bells," he said, leaving the room before I could say anything.

Mike was notably quiet on the way to gym. He left me alone for the rest of the day and didn't respond when I said I'd see him tomorrow.

The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the dry cab. I got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home.

I looked around me to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, tall, figure. Jacob leaning against a sleek, black motorcycle, parked illegally on the sidewalk three cars down from me, and staring intently in my direction. I swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste. Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that my truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success.

He waved at me, wearing what must be his signature make Bella nervous smirk. I blushed and I stared straight ahead as I passed the motorcycle, but peeking at him from my peripheral, I saw him laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Here the second chapter of Daybreak. Please, review or Pm your thoughts. I really want to know what you think. <strong>

**Remember, Constructive criticism is welcome. No flames!**


	4. Chapter 3: PHENOMENON

**Summary: What if Bella had met Alpha Jacob before Edward? What if Jacob went to the same high school as Bella? How would these change things?**

** Disclaimer: I own nothing! All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. There will be no song lyrics or any other violations of the guidelines in this fiction.**

* * *

><p><strong>A werewolf joke:<strong>

**Q: What is fearsome, hairy and drinks from the wrong side of a glass?**

**A: A werewolf with hiccups!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER Three: PHENOMENON<strong>

_**The Will Is Not Free - It Is a Phenomenon Bound by Cause and Effect - But There Is Something behind the Will Which Is Free**_

_**-Swami Vivekananda**_

* * *

><p><em>Brrringgg~ Brrringgg~<em>

I woke up on my stomach, with my face mashed into my lumpy pillow, to see snow covering the ground outside my window. I groaned. That meant that I would have to shovel the driveway and clear off my Dad's ramp. As I rolled onto my back, one thought burned through my mind: _**Bella. **_

I sighed as I thought about her. She was perfect.

My peaceful moment was interrupted by an awful ringing shoving itself into ear, and I turned my head to the right. On my nightstand was a lamp, my cellphone—and the fucking alarm clock Quil got me for my birthday. Quil was an asshole! The fucking bastard gave me the most annoying alarm ever. The stupid thing wakes me up at six every damn morning. After a long night of running through the forest on all fours to protect the town from monsters until dawn, I should be entitled to skip school and sleep in.

_Brrringgg~ Brrringgg~ Brrringgg~ Brrringgg~ Brrringgg._

I brought my fist down on the clock as hard as I could. The bells on top popped off, and the plastic casing cracked, before finally it split into little pieces. Crap, now I'd have to buy a new one. Fuck!

I rolled out of bed landing effortlessly on my feet and stretched my back until it cracked.

I grabbed some random clothes out of my dresser and went to the bathroom to wash the evidence of last night's run through the woods from my body.

I stepped inside the shower and shut the door, closing my eyes as steam swirled. I'd planned on taking a quick shower before I went to help my dad get ready but the water felt nice and after the week I've had I would take whatever pleasure I could find so instead of getting out I tipped my head down, water tracing my jaw, sliding down the line of my throat, until it reached my feet. I pressed the palm of one hand against the shower wall and closed my eyes, imagining the water was washing away all my problems but I knew that the second I left all my problems would return; just like they always did.

I turned the water off and dropped my hands to my sides and pressed my head against the cool shower tile. What was I going to do? I put my clothes on and made my way to my dad's room. He was already awake and waiting for me.

"Good morning, son," he said, too cheery for this early in the morning.

"Morning, Dad," I mumbled as I lifted him out of bed and carried him to the bathroom.

I helped him get undressed then left him to clean himself up while I made breakfast. I made my dad some instant oatmeal with blueberries and skim milk for his diabetes. Then I made some bacon and waffles for myself. I set the table then went to help my dad get dressed. As we sat across the table from each other I could feel my dad looking at me.

"So, Sam told me something interesting last night," Dad started and I tensed.

_**That nosey son of a bitch!**_ I told Sam that I would handle it! On the inside I was fuming, but on the outside I stayed cool and collected.

"Is that so?" I said, not revealing anything. I cut into my waffle and tried to ignore his penetrating stare.

"Jake, look at me," He demanded.

I am a werewolf; leader of my own pack of wolves. I hunted dangerous, bloodthirsty monsters every night! Yet my dad could still make me feel like a scolded child with just a few words. I looked up slowly.

"What?" I asked, a little sharper than I'd intended but it was barely 7:00 in the morning and I didn't get in until dawn. He stared into my eyes for a long moment.

"What are you going to do, son?" He asked.

I shrugged. "What can I do? I can't tell her. It could cause them to break they're side of the treaty. "

It was what I had been wrestling with. The treaty my great grandfather made with Dr. Fang and his coven. They would stay off of Quileute land if we didn't expose them for what they really were, blood suckers, to the pale faces. It was just my luck that my imprint happened to be Charlie's very beautiful and very_** pale**_ daughter.

* * *

><p><strong>*Past *<strong>

Charlie had been talking about his daughter coming back to Forks for months. Charlie had asked me to watch out for her.

"I just want to make sure she has someone to talk to. Promise me you'll look out for my little girl," Charlie said, over the phone.

"I promise," I assured him.

It couldn't be that hard. After all, Bella and I had been friends since we were little.

"I'm sure you guys will be as close as you were when you were longer." He added. "She's really not good with crowds and she has a hard time making friends so try not to overwhelm her."

That didn't sound like the Bella I'd known since I was a baby.

"No, Problem Charlie," I'd said, and the next morning I went to the office to get a copy of her schedule.

I'd planned to talk to Bella before class and invite her to La Push later to reminisce on old times...but plans changed. I was leaning against the wall of building "3" trying to memorize her schedule when I saw her. She was wearing a black hoodie and walking with her head down. She was visibly shaking and her breathing sounded like she was about to have a panic attack.

I chuckled under my breath, comparing this Bella to the one I used to make mud pies with, and who used to ignore everything around her while she read a book when we were younger. She'd sure changed a lot in the last four years. Then again...so had I. I sobered immediately.

"Relax, it's just a classroom," I said, looking down at the schedule to keep from making her uncomfortable.

Once I was sure she wasn't going to bolt, I glanced up. My dark eyes met warm milk brown ones and heat flooded through me. She'd grown up to be more beautiful than I'd ever imagined.

Her skin was a creamy soft ivory, with long, straight, dark brown hair that fell past her shoulders while framing her heart shaped face beautifully. Her soft pink glossed lips were parted in surprise.

Golden warmth, a passionate aura, surrounded her. That aura meant something more to me than the loveliness it surrounded. It pulsated, reaching out to me, touching my soul, and drawing me in. She smelled of warm honey, vanilla, strawberries and sunshine. Everything inside of me came undone as her soul touched mine. A hollow loneliness, which I had learned at an early age to ignore, filled and I felt my wolf stir.

I saw flashes of our lives together: My dad, my pack and La Push mixed into an extraordinary collage with Charlie and Renée. I could see my wolf standing as protector if she needed him. For the tiniest fragment of that second, I saw the bobbing heads of two small, black-haired children, running away into the familiar forest and a radiant vision of the sun shining through the leaves of the forest and kissing the forest floor as she nuzzled against my wolf veiled my eyes.

_'Mine'_ my wolf growled.

My wolf and I warred with each other. My wolf, tongue hanging out of his mouth, urged me to run and claim her now, but I knew we needed to wait. She let out a breath and I remembered the promise I'd made to Charlie.

"_Promise me you'll look out for my little girl...try not to overwhelm her."_

Gaining control of my wolf, I started to walk towards her. I would introduce myself and invite her to hang out like I'd planned.

'_Mine!'_ my wolf cried

My wolf howled within me, wanting to go to her, mate her, and hold her close for all of time. My wolf projected these images to me causing my skin to heat up and blood to boil within me.

'_Bring her home with us!'_ My wolf agreed with me.

I looked into Bella's innocent face and came to a decision.

"Welcome to Forks, Bella," I said as I walked past her into the rain.

"I'm sure they'll love you, babe, " I added, forcing myself to keep walking and not look back.

My wolf rose up inside me demanding I go back and talk with her. The wolf within me, wanted to love and protect her.

'_Not yet.'_ I told my wolf. The moment my soul touched her I saw what she needed most right now.

She didn't need a lover, she needed a friend. The pull towards her was strong but my will was stronger. She was destined to be the Alpha's mate. She would lead the pack at my side against the cold one's..._**the Treaty!**_

I felt my insides go cold. I couldn't tell her about any of this. My great grandfather must not have known it was possible to imprint on someone outside of the pack. Imprinting was rare and it was supposed to find the person who would bare you the strongest cubs, or at least that's what Sam thought.

Nothing like this had ever happened before. I shook it off. I'd talk to Old Quil after school. I skipped my first hour and was late to my second before I finally got control of my urge to see Bella. I was so glad it was lunch time, I was starving. I found Quil and Embry already at the lunch table when I came in.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I asked, trying to take my mind off of Bella. Quil looked up and frowned.

"The Cullens are back," He said, and I sighed.

"Were there any casualties?" I asked, setting my tray on the table and sitting down. Embry shook his head.

"They only hunted the animals like they said but I'm still not sure how long that will last. The young blonde male looks like he won't make it on animal blood. I saw him staking out the guys around town." he said. I nodded, having expected this.

"Where are they now?" I asked, not seeing them in the lunch room.

Quil shrugged, "They're probably in the principal's office getting yelled at for missing so many days of school." he said.

"Well, go keep an eye on them. I don't want any kids dying because one of those leeches breaks their diet." I demanded and Quil nodded.

He stood up quickly and left the cafeteria. I wasn't sure how long we could keep this up. Why did the leeches need to go to school anyway? Shouldn't they want to stay out of sight and away from the public? It's not like they were going to do something with their diploma. I was going to think more on that subject when I heard someone say my name.

I looked up to see Jessica Stanley, nice girl but a bit of a gossip, talking to my Bella. My eyes met hers again and it took everything I had not to go to her.

_'Mine'_ my wolf growled and I crushed my milk carton.

_'She belongs with us'_ my wolf howled, struggling to break free.

_**'Shut up!'**_ I told him, trying to push him back down.

"Jake, what's up?" Embry asked.

"I've imprinted on Charlie's daughter and if I can't get my wolf under control I'm going to make a seen in the cafeteria," I said casually, like this happened to me every day. I couldn't show weakness in front of anyone; not even a member of my own pack. Embry looked surprised.

"That's great!" he said and I glared at him.

"Not the wolf part but the imprinting. You've found your soul mate, bro!" He said, and then paused, glancing in Bella's direction.

"Wait, Charlie's daughter but she's a...," he stopped himself.

"I know that, Em! But what can I do? I can't just ignore her, Embry. She is mine - My mate. I have to be with her, near her. I need her… but the treaty. I don't want to start a war or endanger our people but I need to tell her. I am not sure I can control my wolf until I do. He's pulling at me to go to her as we speak," I explained. Embry was about to say something when Quil came back.

"All of the Cullens are accounted for except for the mind reader," he said.

"Where's he?" I asked, switching into back into Alpha mode. Quil shrugged.

"They said that he'll be back at the end of the day. He wanted to kill a few more bears." Quil said and I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"He's killing bears?" I asked unbelieving, trying not to show how unsettling that was.

Dead deer could be explained, a bigger animal got to them. But if people found a bunch of dead bears lying around the woods…

"How close to town?" I asked, wondering how many others I would have to send to clean up after those leeches.

"A few miles from town," he said, and I let out a growl.

"Damn it! Tell Sam to get Leah and Jarred to help with the disposal. And tell the Cullens I want meet with them later to talk about they're hunting grounds," I said. Embry looked at me.

"What are you going to be doing?" he asked.

I glanced at Bella, who stared back at me with such wonder. Could she feel it too? She looked away, blushing and my wolf started whispering about all the things we could do to make her turn that pretty shade of pink all over her body. I stared at her, frustrated by my own weakness. I listened in on what Jessica was telling her about me.

"Oh, Jacob, he's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He does not date longer than a week. Apparently none of the girls here are good enough for him. Just like that Edward Cullen, but I suspect that he's gay because he never dates any girls at all," she sniffed, and I turned away to keep from laughing. If only the mind reader had been hear to hear that.

I looked to Quil and Embry, who were staring at me with shock.

"What?" I asked, confused, why were they staring at me like that.

"You're smiling," Quil said, incredulously. I raised an eyebrow.

"So?" I said.

"I haven't seen you smile like that since when we were thirteen." Embry said and I frowned, my good mood fading.

"I haven't had much to smile about since then," I said darkly and they both looked down in shame.

"Sorry, man, " Embry said. I shrugged, standing up.

"It doesn't matter anymore," I stated and they stood up to.

We left the cafeteria without another word to each other and I knew they would be kicking themselves for letting that comment slip. I was the first one in biology class. Mr. Banner was shocked and made some snide comment at my expense but I wasn't in the mood for his crap today.

I sat at my desk contemplating what Embry said.

**Thirteen…Stress, bills, abandoned, death, my fault, lies, secrets, leeches, pain. **

I was so lost in my pathetic sob story that I didn't notice Bella come in the classroom until the fan blew her scent my way.

I tensed and glanced up only to stop and stare at her as she stood in front of the class and my eyes grew wide. She was a beauty, gorgeous in my eyes. I wanted to get close enough to actually touch her, hold her, and claim her as mine.

_'She Ours'_ my wolf stated and I knew she was. I knew it even without my wolf screaming it at me. I smiled.

_"I haven't seen you smile like that since when we were 13."_

Embry's words came back and I shut down. I refused to go through anything like that again. I'd just have to avoid her until I talked to Old Quil. How hard could it be? Mr. Banner ordered Bella to take the empty seat in the middle row. I looked around to see where she would be sitting and I cursed silently. The only empty seat was next to me. I glanced upward in despair.

_**'You must really hate me, don't you?'**_ I asked the spirits.

As Bella made her way towards me she started to fall, instinctively I caught her and for a brief second I felt her skin brush my hand and a tingle shocked me. It was a familiar sensation that I hadn't felt since I was a child.

_"I'm going to fall in!" She cried, as we stepped across the slippery rocks._

_"Don't worry," I said, holding her hand with a strong grip that sent a tingle that surprised us both. "I'll catch you if you fall, always." I promised._

I moved my chair closer to Bella as she sat down, sitting as close as I could without falling and stared at her, wondering how it would feel to really touch her. Would it be better? Would it be weird? Did she feel it? She let her hair fall over her right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us and I sighed in disappointment. This wasn't the first time she had done that?

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, Bells, do you want to come outside and play with me and Embry?" I asked, thrilled to spend time with her. She barely glanced up from the book she was reading before letting her hair fall over her shoulder, making a dark curtain between us.<em>

_"Okay, bye," I said, sadly, leaving her alone._

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, Bells! Do you want to go get ice-cream with me and mom? "I asked, bouncing from foot to foot.<em>

_Bella shook her head, working on her summer packet from school, letting her hair fall over her shoulder, making a dark curtain between us. My shoulders slumped. _

_"Alright, we'll bring you back a sundae," I promised, walking away dejectedly._

* * *

><p><em>"Bells! Come look at what I made!" I called, eager to show her the sand castle I made for her.<em>

_Bella sighed and rolled her eyes before letting her hair fall over her right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us. I looked back at my castle just in time to see it be washed away by the ocean._

* * *

><p>Knowing that she hadn't changed after all this time made it easier to control myself. This wasn't just some strange girl that I barely knew. This was Bella. The girl I'd worshipped since I was still in diapers. The girl I'd made pies with, who gave me my first book, and the girl who once read me pride and prejudice just because she felt like it. I couldn't just ignore her and I couldn't fight the imprint but I could change it.<p>

What did I have to lose?

"Hi," I said, relaxing. "My name is Jacob," I said, waiting to see if she remembered me. When she didn't say anything, I tried again.

"Jacob Black," I said and she snapped out of her daze. She held out her hand to shake mine and I knew then that she didn't remember me.

"I'm," she stated but I cut her off.

"Bella Swan, I know," I said shaking her hand.

I was going to let it go but the softness of her hand made me pause. I couldn't help but bring it up to my lips and kiss it. Bella blushed and gasped in surprise. She pulled her hand back and like I'd burned her.

Oh, yeah, the werewolf temperature. I'd completely forgotten about that. I laughed internally at my stupidity and opened my mouth to tell her that it was nothing when I heard Sam howl.

'_He's calling you,'_ my wolf growled and I nodded.

"I have to go" I said standing up. Bella looked confused and I couldn't help but smirk darkly. After all the years of wanting her to see, it took turning into a werewolf and imprinting to get her attention.

"I'll see you again later," I said, with a wink, before walking out the class ignoring the teacher's demands for me to go back to my seat.

Mr. Banner was my least favorite teacher anyway. I left knowing Sam must have found something. But I couldn't help but pause and take one more look at Bella.

'_Mine,'_ my wolf called again, struggling to get to her.

She looked up and stared at me from her seat; her chocolate brown eyes filled with loneliness and innocence. She didn't know the horrors of the world. She didn't know that the nightmares were real. She didn't see the venom that coated my hands so thoroughly that I'd never get them clean and I didn't want to taint her

"I'll try. For you. I'll try to be what you need me to be." I said, making sure to look her in the eye as I said this, hoping she'd see the promise in them before I moved away from the door. Then once I was where she couldn't see me I added. "No matter how much my wolf longs to claim you."

I made my way outside and then I took off running into the woods. I felt the little tears as the thorns cut into my skin, but I ignored them. Their sting would be healed before I made the trees. I didn't want to Phase until I was sure that no one could see me. As soon as I was in the true forest, unbound by roads or school, I skidded to a stop and kicked my pants off. With quick, practiced moves, I rolled them up and tied them to the leather cord around my ankle. As I was still pulling the ends tight, I started shifting. The fire trembled down my spine, throwing tight spasms out along my arms and legs. It only took a second. The heat flooded through me, and I felt the silent shimmer that made me something else. I threw my heavy paws against the matted earth and stretched my back in one long, rolling extension.

'_**What's going on, Sam?'**_ I asked, running towards where I could see him in my mind.

'_It's bad, Jake. There were three unknown vamps in the area.'_ Sam thought.

'_**Any causalities?'**_ I thought, hoping no one died while I was thinking about – I cut my thoughts off.

'_No one was found dead…yet'_ Jared thought and I could see the destroyed area around him.

'_**What happened?'**_ I demanded.

'_Whoever was here wanted to leave a message,'_ Sam thought.

'_**For who?'**_ I asked.

'_For the Cullens,'_ Leah said, making her presence known.

I saw the dead bears were all lined up in a row with their heads cut off. Each one had a name curved into their stomach.

**Carlisle**

**Edward**

**Esme**

**Rosalie**

**Emmet**

**Jasper**

**Alice**

**Alice**

**ALICE**

'_**Did you contact the Dr. Leech?'**_ I asked.

'_No,'_ Leah said, digging a hole with her paws to throw the bear's bodies in. _'Why should we warn them? This is they're mess. They should deal with it themselves!'_

'_**This isn't a game Leah. Get in contact with him, now! We need to know if they know these other vamps and stop them before someone gets hurt.'**_ I ordered.

'_Fine,'_ she grumbled, running off. Sam took over digging the hole.

'_You sure you want to send her alone,'_ Sam thought and I could feel the worry through our bond.

'_I can take care of myself!'_ Leah thought, angrily.

'_I never said you couldn't, baby.' _Sam said pausing in his digging._ 'I'd just feel better if I went with you,'_

'_**Jared, go with Leah,'**_ I ordered.

'_Yes, sir,'_ he said, taking off running after her.

'_**I'll catch up with you guys after school. Tell Dr. Fang I still want to have that meeting,'**_ I told Leah, going to help Sam finish digging those holes.

Afterwards, I realized I'd missed my last hour class as I was running back to the school. Once I was dressed, I made my way to the principal's office. I knew Mr. Banner had probably reported me. He always reported me. The lady in the office sighed when I walked in.

"Hey, Mrs. Cope. Do you have anything for me today?" I asked, leaning over the counter and batting my eyes innocently. Mrs. Cope smacked me over the head.

"Mr. Banner said you walked out of his class during a lesson." she stated, crossing her arms and scolding me.

I shrugged. "I had to go to the bathroom," I lied. She glared at me.

"Then why didn't you raise your hand and ask for the pass," she demanded. I gave her my best lost puppy look that had gotten me out of trouble many times before.

"I really had to go," I explained. Mrs. Cope was not amused.

"You have a week's detention." she said handing me my detention slip. I nodded, taking the punishment without complaint.

"And we'll be calling your father," she added and I flinched.

"Why?" I asked, trying not to reveal how much this affected me.

It's not that my dad would get mad. He knew all about my werewolf duties, so I wouldn't be punished.

But I knew how much my dad wanted me to graduate high school. He always looked so guilty whenever I got in trouble. I knew he blamed himself for my phasing so soon and all the complications that came with it. Mrs. Cope looked sympathetic.

"This is the third time you've done something like this idea the last two months." She explained and I nodded.

We were both silent as we both contemplated what that meant. The next time I did it I would be suspended. Then soon I'd probably be expelled. No diploma, no college, and no future.

I should just drop out now and get my G.E.D.

"Jacob, what's going on? This isn't like you." she said and I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes.

"Nothing, I'm just a little stressed. It's nothing I can't handle," I said, forcing myself to smile.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, I'm here," she said.

I was about to say something when the door opened behind me. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. My wolf rose to attention and I turned around to find Bella looking like she was going to turn around and walk out.

"We meet again, Bella," I said with a smirk. It's like Destiny kept throwing us together.

"H-Hi," she said nervously and I wanted to hold her. She was so adorable.

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling the hair around her face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again.

My back stiffened as my Bella's scent merged with that of the leeches, and I turned slowly to glare behind her. Time slowed down, my wolf was so enraged that if he could have flown from my body and destroyed the leech he would have. While internally my wolf raged, I felt a deadly calm settle on my shoulders. Everything went quiet and I almost felt disembodied. I felt it to my core; I was prepared to kill every single member of this vamp's coven if he took another step towards what was mine. I didn't want those monsters anywhere near her.

The mind reader's dark, ravenous gaze moved from my mate and shifted to me before turning and leaving. Once the leech was gone, I turned back to Bella.

"I have to go," I said softly.

Then reached out and moved her hair out of out of her face. She looked so vulnerable. I wouldn't allow anyone to harm her.

"You be careful. I'll see you around," I said.

And I turned on my heels, giving her a grin, before I went out the door. The second I was in the hall I dropped the act. A new set of rules had to be made. I didn't want that leech anywhere near my Bella. The look on his face had been lethal. If I hadn't been there who knows what might have happened. The rest of the day went as could be expected. Detention sucked, Old Quil knew nothing about how to get around the treaty, and the Cullens agreed to hunt further away from town.

They knew nothing about what the message meant, but promised that they would look into it and tell us the second they knew something. The mind reader was gone. He'd run away like a fucking coward, so I warned his father.

"You will stay away from Bella Swan. I don't want your son anywhere near her!" I growled fiercely, with Embry and Quil behind me.

"I have no control over who my son hangs out with, but I will pass along the message. May I ask why he has to avoid her?" He asked. I bore down on Dr. Fang and he backed up slowly.

"She's mine. All mine. My mate" The words came out before I even realized what I was saying.

My wolf hummed contentedly at my proclamation.

_'Ours' _he agreed.

"Your mate?" The pixie-like-one asked quietly and I turned my stare to her and she stared back like she was trying to tell if I was lying.

"Have you told her anything about us?" The young blonde one, who was having trouble controlling his thirst, asked.

"No," I said and I could feel their eyes boring into me. I could see that he was considering his next move carefully.

"Bella Swan is the new student from Phoenix. She's the chief of police's daughter" The pixie-like-one said. "She's not included in the treaty so you have no rights to tell us to stay away from her," she said as she closed the gap between us with a hiss.

I turned on her as fast as a blink, my hand wrapping around her cold stone-like neck. All the vamps in the room tensed.

"You back off, or I'll end you where you stand," I warned. "You weren't even around when the Doctor made the treaty with my grandfather so killing you wouldn't be a violation. Now, I made an exception and allowed you and your husband to stay in Forks, but _**Do Not Push Me**_. I could tear you apart before the rest of them have a chance to move," I growled, shoving her away from me.

The blonde male caught her and took a step back, eyeing me cautiously.

"That's all I have to say," I stated turning and leaving the house before they could say anything.

Embry and Quil followed quietly behind me. I knew they were worried about me. I hadn't lost my temper like that in a long time.

I pushed down my anger and focused on quieting my wolf who was demanding their deaths. I wasn't about to start a war and the pixie did have a point. Bella wasn't included in the treaty. I thought about that while I worked on Ms. Newton's car. The $500 Mrs. Newton would give me when her car was ready would help with the bills. I thought about it some more when I was making a diabetic friendly meal for my Dad and me. By the time I helped him get into bed I was sick of thinking about it. My pack was thinking about it too as they realized the magnitude of the situation.

Their Alpha had just found his mate. They were happy for me and immediately started thinking about the girl that had claimed their Alpha's heart, but they were also worried about what this would mean. They all had loved ones who they wouldn't want hurt in the crossfire should I chose to break the Treaty. It was a stressful night and I was so tired in the morning that I debated skipping but the thought of leaving Bella alone didn't appeal to me.

Luckily I had math first hour. Math was my favorite subject. Math makes sense. There's a right answer and you can't argue with that. My grades may have started to slip in my other classes, but I was still the best math. I didn't see Bella until lunch. My wolf was agitated; worried that something might have happened to her. We looked around the lunchroom, searching, until were looking into her beautiful milk chocolate eyes. Longing, quick and hot, infused us, charged us, until my blood was on fire with need.

'_Want,'_ my wolf whined and I couldn't look away.

I needed to be near her or I'd go crazy with the wild savageness that was consuming me.

Bella stared at me with wide eyes I couldn't help but smirk. It felt good to have her complete undivided attention.

_'Mine,'_ my wolf purred and Bella bit her lip from across the room.

That was something Bella always did when she was nervous. She used to do it a lot whenever my sisters dragged her somewhere to play dress up. I tilted my head curiously. Was I making her nervous? I bumped Quil on the shoulder.

"I'm going to go get something to eat," I told him, never breaking Bella's gaze. I stood up and Bella's friend pulled her attention away from me.

"Your tray is still full. Are you okay, Bro?" Quil asked and I nodded.

"I'm going to go talk to Bella," I said and Quil waggled his eyebrows.

"Talk to her or _**'Talk'**_ to her?" He asked, making an obscene gesture with his hands. I slapped him over the head.

"Not everyone is as dirty minded as you," I said and Quil shrugged.

"I've been inside your head, Dude," he said and I walked away from him. I saw Bella standing in line and I quietly snuck up behind her.

"Hey," I said and heard her heart start racing. She turned around and I looked at her tray.

"You aren't going to get the pizza? That's the best part!" I said, putting it on her plate. When we were younger Bella used to love pizza.

"I don't want any pizza today," she said, putting it back.

I guess that was another thing that changed while she'd been gone. I grabbed the slice again and put it on my tray.

"Well, don't mind if I do, honey" I said, with a grin.

But inside I was worried. She so different from the girl I used to know. If I did decide to bring her into my world would she be able to handle it? Would it be selfish of me?

"So, what's up, Bells," I continued. "Are you having a good day? I know I am, now that I've seen your beautiful face." I couldn't resist adding.

"W-why do you keep calling me that?" she stuttered.

I chuckled and arched an eyebrow. What girl didn't like being called beautiful?

"Oh, you don't like it?" I asked. She frowned and I knew it wasn't the beautiful part that bothered her.

"No," she blurted. "I meant, why do you keep calling me Bells?" Oh, that's right. She didn't remember me.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why do you keep calling me that?" she snapped, putting her book down and glaring at me. I took a step back confused.<em>

"_Calling you what?" I asked._

"_Bells! My name is Bella," she said. I shrugged._

"_Because it sounds like bells when you laugh," I said. Bella, pouted unable to think of a response to that._

_Charlie walked in the house._

"_Come on, Bells! It's time to go home!" he called, using my nickname for her. Bella and I looked at each other in shock before we both burst into laughter._

* * *

><p>I grinned at the memory before leaning towards her.<p>

"Do you want me to call you Isabella?" I whispered in her ear, like I was sharing a secret.

"N-no, I like Bells," she stammered hastily, blushing and taking a step back.

"Charlie - I mean my dad – is the only one who calls me Bells. But he must call me Isabella when I'm not around because that's what people are calling me here," she rambled and I felt insulted that Charlie got credit for it.

"Oh," I said tilting his head to the side curiously.

Why didn't she remember me? I wondered, taking a step forward, and closing the distance between us. She took another step backward, clutching her tray and looking away uncomfortably. What was up with that? My ears picked up the racing of her heart and permanent blush that was dusting her cheeks.

"Do I make you nervous, honey?" I asked, finding it funny.

"N-no!" she lied, horribly and winced.

I don't know why she even tried. She'd never been a good liar. I snorted, before moving away from her. I didn't want her to have a heart attack.

"Don't worry, Bells. I'm sure the Chief doesn't call you Isabella behind your back," I reassured her.

Jessica had been in the office when Charlie had went to register Bella and had heard the principal ask if her name was Isabella before spreading it around that the new transfer students name was Isabella Swan.

I tried to get Bella to calm down. How could we ever be friends if every time I came within 10 ft. of her she almost had a panic attack? I made up stories about the people in line ahead of us remembering how she used to love telling me stories when I was young. Always carrying a big book in her arms and always eager to share with who ever wanted to listen. I warned her not to try the chicken patties. Last week, Mike Newton had gotten food poisoning from those babies.

We went our separate ways after she paid for her lunch. Embry and Quil were waiting for me, eager to hear the details.

"What did she say?" Embry asked.

"Did you ask her out?" Quil asked. I shook my head.

"She not ready," I said.

'_Soon,'_ my wolf purred.

I looked over at Bella who was talking to Jessica about something. Jessica's eyes flickered to me before she turned back to Bella.

"Oh, he's staring at you!" she squealed.

"Stop looking at him," Bella hissed, and I grinned, looking down at my uneaten pizza.

I glanced at Bella again to see her staring at me. I smirked and winked at her. She looked away quickly, concealing her face with her hair and I chuckled. Messing with Bella was becoming my favorite activity

"He's smiling again," I heard Quil mumble to Embry.

"Good," Embry mumbled back.

I didn't look at either of them as I went back to eating my lunch; taking a big, triumphant bite of my pizza.

"Delicious," I said, softly.

After lunch, I walked Bella to biology.

"It sucks the rain stopped." I commented.

"Not really," she answered.

"You don't like the rain?" he question, pretending to be surprised.

"Or the wet." she added.

"But the rain is awesome! The sweet smell of the cleansing of the earth! Rain is the best for dancing in," I did a smooth spin, remembering a move she'd shown me once from her ballet class.

* * *

><p><em>She'd tripped when she'd attempted it and I'd caught her.<em>

"_My hero," she'd whispered, giving me a peck on the cheek._

* * *

><p>"Rain brings people closer together," I said, putting my arm around her shoulders giving in to my desire to touch her.<p>

"It's good for standing under an umbrella together or staying inside under the covers and…" I trailed off as we walked into class. And for romantic movie kisses, I added in my head.

That was always her favorite scene in the movies; the epic kiss of true love.

"I don't like the rain and I never will." She mumbled, bitterly.

"Well, Forks must be the perfect place for you then," I joked, not fazed by her mood shift. I had two older sisters and shared a mind with a She-wolf. I could handle anything.

"You have no idea," she muttered darkly. That made me curious. If she hated Forks then why did she offer to come here?

"So why did you come here, then?" I asked, as we sat down, not one to beat around the bush.

"It's...complicated." she stumbled.

"I love a challenge," I pressed and she paused for a long moment before looking me in the eye.

"My mother got remarried," she said, sadness leaking into her voice.

"And you don't like him," I stated wondering what kind of jerk her mother married.

Was he a drunk? Did he hit her? She didn't look like she'd been abused.

"No, Phil is fine. I still think he's too young for my mother, but he's a nice enough Guy." she said and I let out a relieved sigh.

"Why didn't you stay with them?" I asked.

"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." She gave me a crooked smile.

"Have I heard of him?" I asked, smiling in response.

"Probably not. He's not that good and he moves around a lot." She explained. So, if her stepfather wasn't the reason then…

"Did your mother send you here so that she could travel with him," I asked, worried. I remember how much Bella loved her mother. She'd go on for hours and hours about how awesome her mom was and how everyone back home was jealous. Though sometimes her voice would shake and she'd get real quiet.

"_My mom needs me," she'd say softly "I'm her little helper," _

Her chin raised a fraction and I knew I'd offended her.

"No, she did not send me here. I sent myself." she boasted. I smirked, the pieces of the story coming together.

"You wanted to give them a little privacy to make your mother happy," I stated. She sighed and I knew I was right.

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy...," she paused.

_**And mommy's little helper couldn't have that**_, I added silently.

"So, I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." she finished.

"But now you're unhappy," I pointed out.

"And?" she challenged.

"That doesn't seem fair." I said.

I looked at her taking in how she'd changed, ignoring her beauty and seeing the strength. She'd been through a lot. Would it be wrong of me to add to her burden?

I was sure she could handle it now but I wasn't sure I wanted to put that on her. It wasn't fair to her.

She laughed without humor.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair." She said.

* * *

><p>"<em>Life isn't fair sometimes son," Charlie said, placing his hand on my shoulder as they buried my mom.<em>

* * *

><p>"<em>Life isn't fair," My dad said, after I phased into a werewolf for the first time.<em>

* * *

><p>"Yeah, I've heard that a lot," I agreed, chuckling darkly. I stared at her trying to see into her soul again. Would it ever get any easier?<p>

"So that's all," she insisted and I saw a little flicker of something in her eyes.

"You're sad, but not as sad as you thought you'd be," I stated, happy that she wasn't completely miserable here.

"I'd be willing to bet that you like it here more than you thought you would." I said, smirking. She scowled at me and looked away.

"Am I wrong?" I asked, confident in my answer. She refused to look at me which was just as good as shouting Bingo.

"I didn't think so," I mumbled, just loud enough so she could hear me. I wanted to get a rise out of her and she took the bait.

"Why does it matter to you?" she snapped, irritated. She kept her eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds and I decided to be honest.

"Because I like you," I stated, bluntly. Apparently Bella wasn't prepared for my answer.

"W-what?" She stumbled, dropping her pencil. I calmly bent and picked up her pencil.

"I…Like…You," I said, putting an emphasis on each word to make sure she heard me.

I wasn't going to take it back. She deserved to know. She blushed, speechless and Mr. Banner called the class to order. She turned with relief to listen and I stared at her watching her worry her lip.

"Didn't mean to make you speechless, babe. You look like I just told you said something dirty! It's not like I told you …" My wolf was saying, and visualizing, very explicit things in my head making it hard for me to think and I paused, glancing to make sure Mr. Banner wasn't paying attention, and closed my eyes.

I sat up straighter and relaxed, stopping the internal battle with my wolf and let us slip back into the unified entity that we had been for so long now. I opened my eyes, looking at her through different eyes. She wasn't just beautiful or gorgeous, or adorable; she was hot, sexy, and vibrant.

"I want you, Bella," I drawled, low in her ear so no one would overhear. "Right here, right now. On top of this desk and I don't care who watches. You are mine and I'm going to make you feel so good that you won't care either."

Bella face turned redder than a tomato and her mouth was hanging open. I pushed my wolf down again, unable to stay like that anymore and grinned.

"I'm kidding, Bella," I lied, knowing she wasn't ready to hear that, and she sighed, her cheeks flushed as she gazed at the blackboard.

"I'm bugging you," I stated, pleased with myself for leaving a mark in that once untouchable armor she used to wear. She glanced at me.

"No, I'm more annoyed at myself. People always love to tease me. My face is so easy to read. My mother always calls me her open book." She admitted.

"Yeah, you are really easy to read." I grinned.

"You must be a good reader then," she replied, in a teasing tone.

"Oh I am," I bragged.

'_**But not as good as you,'**_ I added mentally.

"But only when I like the book." I joked, smiling broadly. I leaned close to her, enjoying our closeness.

'_Want,'_ my wolf cried, clawing inside my mind and I gripped the table to keep from giving in.

Bella, my studious Bella, tried to ignore me and take notes as Mr. Banner gave us our assignment, but I knew how to keep her attention. By the end of class we had been glared at by Mr. Banner at least 4 times and shushed by our classmate twice. A new record for me.

Bella seemed a little down when the hour ended. I was too. I wanted to stay by her side forever, making her laugh, and blush, and giggle. I could honestly see myself spending the rest of my life with her and that scared me.

"Well, I'll catch you later, honey" I said as I left the class.

She was getting to me faster than I expected, but I wouldn't let my guard down. I had to be ready for anything. I skipped my last hour not worried about what my coach would do. He wouldn't report me. He needed me too much. I made my way outside and ran through the woods so I could get far enough away to check in with the pack.

"_**Talk to me Sam,"**_ I thought.

"_All clear Jake,"_ Sam thought.

"_The unidentified leeches haven't been scented at all today,"_ Leah added.

"_**That's good,"**_ I thought, relieved at one less problem._** "Anything up with the Cullens?"**_

"_They've been quiet. Other than the Doctor, none of the others have left the coven,"_ Sam responded.

"_**Okay, not sure whether that's good or bad. Anything else?"**_ I asked.

"_The mind reader hasn't returned yet,"_ Leah added.

"_**That's good news. The way that monster looked at Bella…"**_ I growled, fighting the urge to maim something.

"_How is your mate?"_ Sam asked.

"_**Good,"**_ I answered, shortly.

"_Does she know yet?"_ Leah asked.

"_**No,"**_ I said, leaving no room for discussion.

"_**Until these new leeches our dealt with make sure to do a wide spread patrol around Forks as well as our land. I don't want one of them getting to Bella,"**_ I said.

"_Don't worry all mighty alpha,"_ Leah snarled. _"We won't let a vamp sink his teeth in your girl,"_

"_We'll protect her with our life,"_ Sam said firmly to counteract Leah's sarcasm.

"_**Thank you,"**_ I said, thinking about how well suited they were.

Leah with her sarcasm and Sam with his straight forward mind. Sam was nosey and Leah couldn't care less for anyone else's issues. Sam was order and obedience and Leah was chaos and freedom. There was no one who was better match than them.

"_Aww, is our leader getting all sappy now that he's imprinted?"_ Leah mocked.

"_Leave him alone, Leah,"_ Sam demanded.

"_Whatever,"_ Leah thought, running ahead of him.

"_See you at home, Baby,"_ Sam called.

"_Pick up some dinner,"_ she thought before she phased out.

"_**How do you deal with her?"**_ I asked.

"_It's who she is and I love her. I wouldn't get rid of her attitude for all the obedient, well-mannered women in the world,"_ Sam admitted.

"_**Yeah, I get it,"**_ I thought, thinking of what may lie ahead for Bella and I.

"_Have you figured out what you're going to do yet?"_ Sam asked.

"_**No. But I'm going to,"**_ I thought as I phased out.

I made my way back to school to meet up with Quil and Embry. I'd just met up with them in the parking lot when Paul and Jared showed up.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Quil asked.

"Guess who just met the love of his life?" Paul asked, snickering.

"Shut up!" Jarred said, punching Paul in the shoulder.

"You imprinted?" Embry asked, stunned. Jared looked away.

"Her name's Kim," he mumbled. "She's in my class,"

"What's she like?" Quil asked.

"When are you asking her out?" Embry asked.

"When are you going to grow some tits to go with the vagina you've suddenly sprouted?" Paul asked and Jared hit him again.

"Shut up!" he growled. "You're just mad because you haven't met your mate yet,"

"And I'm not going to! Who the hell would want to imprint on some bitch anyway?" Paul asked.

A rumbling sounded and we all looked up as Bella's truck passed by. Everyone turned to look at me. Paul looked nervous. I walked over towards him and raised my hand. Paul flinched, expecting to get hit.

"Good for you," I said, slapping Jared on the back before walking over to my bike.

I could feel their stares penetrating my back, but I didn't turn around. I had to drive my dad to his doctor's appointment at the Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, then do my homework, do the laundry, cook dinner, help my dad to bed and go patrol for vamps. I didn't have enough time to be angry...but if during patrol I pushed Paul a little harder than the others and made him patrol later than the others it was only a coincidence.

The rest of the week was easily managed. I struggled with being Bella's friend and my growing attraction to her. I wanted her so much, but I would take anything Bella would give me. Friendship? Great. Being her best friend? Even better.

Even though I said I would be whatever she needs, I still found myself often wanting to push her against a wall and kiss her till she was breathless, but I wasn't going to ruin what we had. She had just moved into a new town, but the urges were getting stronger though and I didn't trust myself to have the control much longer.

Bella seemed to be making more friends which good, but I'd noticed the pixie-leech looking at her a lot. The mind reader hadn't returned yet either. The doctor said he was visiting some relatives in Alaska. I hoped he stayed there but I knew he'd be back.

By Friday, Mr. Banner was regretting sitting Bella and I next to each other. I'd made it a game to see how many times I could make her blush in one hour. He was always glaring at me and telling us to pay attention. But that was nothing new for me. Mr. Banner had always hated me. I think it's because I was hot effortlessly and he went to the gym every day and still looked like the Pillsbury dough man. I just hoped he didn't direct any of his bitterness toward Bella.

I spent the weekend working on a few Police cars that Charlie brought in for me to fix up and trying to find a loophole that allowed me to tell Bella about my secret without breaking the treaty. I was sure I wanted to tell her though. Unlike a tribe member, Bella might not believe me if I told her and she might run back to Phoenix if I showed her. What if she was afraid of me? What if she thought I was a freak or a monster? I wasn't sure I could handle that. I couldn't let my doubts show in front of my pack.

I was there leader. If a leader was weak and emotional it weakened the whole group then those vamps would tear us apart. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something like that happened; if I survived at all. So I decided not to tell her at all.

'_Tell her. Need her,'_ my wolf argued.

By Monday morning, my head was still in a fog from the weekend; the anxiety of my decision still lingering in my thoughts. I buried it with other thoughts just so I could function without zoning out every five minutes. Maybe I should tell her?

I got to school and proceeded to go to my first hour, math. When I walked into class, Quil and Embry were sitting where they always sat. I felt a rush of guilt run over me. Embry's mom was one of the people who didn't know about what he did every day and night. It was unfair that I'd get a free ride to tell someone outside of the tribe when he couldn't tell his own mother. I swallowed hard and sat down next to them. Embry turned to me; Quil was flirting with the girl sitting next to him.

"Hey, Jake," Embry said casually.

"Hey, man. What's up?" I responded trying my best not to sound guilty. It was ridiculous. I had no shame. I hadn't done anything to be ashamed of…yet.

"Not much, but guess who's taking Brooke out this weekend," he continued.

"Who?" I asked, not even thinking.

"Me! We're going to the movies and then I'm going to take her out to first beach then maybe catch a movie," Embry said, as he pushed on my arm.

"Jake, what's up with you? You're acting like you've got a stick up your ass," Quil commented finally tuning into the conversation.

I glared at him.

"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm going to go take a piss before the bell rings," I told him, and I stood up and left the classroom.

I walked quickly through the crowd of people to the restrooms. The room was dirty and smelled awful especially with my enhanced wolf senses. I hated going in there, but it provided some much needed privacy. No one else was in there. I rested my hands on the sink and stared into the mirror at myself. I needed to calm down. I turned on the faucet and splashed some water onto my face. The cool water was refreshing and helped me get a grip. I was going to be fine.

'_Want,'_ my wolf howled.

'Shut up!' I hissed aloud.

I made my way back to my class. I managed to get myself through whatever conversation Embry brought up. The bell was still a relief though. I didn't have second or third hour with Embry or Quil. It started snowing as we walked out of class so, of course, Quil and Embry wanted to join the snowball fight. I couldn't just leave without the guys getting on my back. After all, I loved snow. I was always ready for a snowball fight or helping the guys make a snow fight. By the time I made it to Government, I was soaked and I had a much clearer head. Being pelt in the face with snowballs did that.

Mr. Jefferson didn't say anything. He just handed me a roll of paper towels and told everyone to get out there books. I was convinced that before he was a teacher he used to be one of those Royal guard dudes in England who never moved or smiled. In Spanish, I didn't learn anything. I didn't even try to pay attention. Mrs. Goff never made any sense to me on a good day.

In English, Mr. Mason made us write a story about snow. I was so thankful when it was lunch time that I could have kissed the lunch lady. But I'm not sure Mrs. Hennery's husband, the school janitor, would have liked that very much and I wasn't in the mood to be beaten with a mop…not again.

"Jake," a familiar snarky voice called behind me.

"Leah," I stated, slipping into Alpha mode. If Leah was here that meant trouble.

"What's going on?'' I asked.

Leah smiled, but I could tell she was faking.

"Nothing, can't an old friend come visit her favorite brat at school every now and again?" she asked, dragging me to the lunch table as she talked.

"Sure, it's good to see you Lee Lee," I said, and her eye twitched. I knew only Sam called her that, but I was going to take advantage of this chance.

"What's up guys?" Quil said laughing and I knew whatever this was about was bad.

Leah couldn't stand Quil. An incident with a bottle of whisky, a pair of scissors, and a lighter secured that Leah would always hate Quil till the day he died. I don't know why though. Her hair grew back and you'd never know that her eyebrows had been burned off so what was her deal? If she told Quil before she told me than it was bad.

"Why don't you sit down?" Embry suggested, smiling to.

I sat down and Leah took the seat next to me. We pretended to joke and laugh until the kids at the table next to us moved.

"What happened?" I demanded.

Leah continued to grin but her eyes were filled with anger.

"We found a body," She said.

"Who?" I asked, trying not to panic.

"Waylon Forge," She said, and I felt horrible.

"Charlie's friend," I stated.

"And the mind readers back," she said.

Quil and I leaned away as Embry shook his dripping hair toward us. This was the hard part of the job. The mind reader coming back the day Waylon was murdered was a hell of a coincidence, but one the town would ignore. If someone said they saw us acting weird at school and a murder happened, who you think the town would blame: the upstanding doctor and his well-behaved adopted kids or the troubled kids in a gang?

"Did you report it?" I asked.

Leah shook her head, leaning on her head on my shoulder. "Seth ran to Seattle and is going to use a payphone later tonight," she said and I forced myself to laugh as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Good, make sure everyone has an alibi. Tell your dad to have a bonfire tonight and invite kids from Forks so we have people to attest that we were nowhere near Waylon's body when Seth makes that call. Also, have your mom call the school and say Seth isn't feeling well. Being sick in bed is a good excuse for his absence," I whispered in her ear, grinning so hard my cheeks were starting to hurt.

"Got it, Chief," she said, slapping my shoulder and forcing a giggle.

"Which ones did it?" I asked, almost losing my fake smile.

"The unidentified leeches did it. They left the same message as before carved into the boat and dived into the water. Sam got rid of it, but this is serious. They aren't killing bears anymore, Jake," She said, losing her smile.

"Go home, Leah. I'll handle it," I said, patting her shoulder as the bell rang for lunch to end.

"Quil, go inform the blonde leech what happened. She's the only one still at the table," I said, standing up.

"Embry, go home. I know you're worried about your mom," I said, heading to class.

Embry's mom worked at a small souvenir shop on First Beach, close to the sea. If the vamps were in the water she could be in danger. I made my way to Mr. Banner's class trying not to think about what happened. I needed to check on Bella.

'_Mate in danger,'_ my wolf growled.

I shook my head. I could smell her scent in the hallway so I knew she was here. When I walked into Mr. Banner's classroom Bella was doodling on her notebook. She didn't look up as I sat down beside her.

"Hey love, did you enjoy the snow day?" I asked, forcing myself to sound normal.

Bella rolled her eyes and refused to speak to me.

"Wow, even when you're giving me the silent treatment you're sexy." I said, poking her in the side.

She looked up at me trying glare but her eyes softened and soon she was just staring at me. I smirked, she couldn't be that mad at me if she lost her fuel that easily. My smirk must have pissed her off, because she started glaring at me again and her hand twitched like she wanted to slap me. I really hope she didn't. She'd probably break her hand. Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. He passed some stuff out and said some something but I wasn't paying attention.

"Get started," he commanded, making sure to send me a dirty look as he walked past.

"Ladies first, honey." I stated.

She looked up at me and I grinned. She started to stare at me again and bit her lip.

"Or I could start." I said, smiling.

"No," she said, embarrassed to be caught staring. "I'll do it."

"Prophase." She said, confidently.

"You sure?" I asked as I began to remove the slide.

My hand caught hers, to stop her, as I asked. Her skin was so soft and cool.

'_Perfect,'_ my wolf purred and she jerked her hand back quickly.

"Something wrong?" I asked, pulling my hand back slowly.

Did she hear my wolf? When she didn't say anything I continued to reach for the microscope. I teased her for the rest of the activity, pretending to doubt her every now and then just to see that look on her face. When we finished we sat in silence for a few seconds while she looked around the class.

"Did you get taller?" she suddenly blurted.

I was surprised she noticed.

"No." I lied, before I could stop myself.

"Oh," she mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your body." she blushed after saying that.

I smirked, "Didn't know you were looking, like what you see." I said suggestively.

She blushed and looked away. She was so fucking cute! It took everything I had not to pull her into my arms. I gripped my desk as my wolf encouraged me to take her right here in front of everyone.

Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Mr. Black, I see you can get your work finished when you put your mind to it. Did Isabella get a chance with the microscope too?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Actually," I started. "Bells identified three of the five."

Mr. Banner looked at her; his expression was skeptical.

That's right, bitch. My Bella was beautiful and smart…unlike your wife, _**Burn!**_

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.

Bella smiled shyly. "Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners. Maybe you can convince Mr. Black to focus." He said.

"I hope he doesn't drag you down with him, the hoodlum." He mumbled as he walked away.

After he left, Bella began doodling on her notebook again.

"It sucks the snow stopped." I commented, remembering how the rain conversation went.

"Yeah, I'm sure you and your girlfriend were planning on going ice skating or something, " she mumbled, bitterly.

I was confused. The only girl I'd been interested in lately was her.

"What girlfriend?" I asked.

"The one you were snuggling with during lunch," she said.

Oh, that's why she was mad at me. "She's not my girlfriend," I said.

"Of course she isn't. Let me guess, you're not exclusive," She snapped.

Whoa, my girl had a temper. I liked it. The little wrinkle over your nose, the angry flush on her face, the fire in her eyes. She was sexy as hell!

"She's exclusive, a one man kind of woman. I'm still looking or I was until I met you," I flirted, leaning my cheek against my hand, fighting the urge to kiss her.

She blinked before getting angrier.

"So, she's faithful to you and your still looking for someone to cheat on her with," She growled.

I yawned, trying to make her madder. She was so fun to tease and so easy to read. "She's faithful alright. But not to me," I stated.

"What?" she asked confused.

I grinned, knowing she finally understood.

"She's married, Bella." I explained.

"Huh," her mouth hung open.

"That was Leah Clearwater. She's married to Sam. She dropped by because she had something she needed to tell me." I told her.

"Oh," she mumbled.

I patted her on the back.

"It's ok, honey. You didn't know." I said, enjoying how it felt to touch her.

There wasn't a single thing wrong with her; she seemed perfect in every way possible. I realized, of course, that these feelings are shared by almost any person who has ever imprinted, yet I knew there was something different about Bella; something inherently special which made her stand out from anyone because I had felt like this back when we were kids too before I ever Imprinted on her

'_Want,'_ my wolf whined and a longing so strong hit me that it made my hand tremble.

I looked at the back of Bella's neck, seeing a glimpse of her soft, creamy skin, and felt myself harden. Even though the sexual attraction was strong, I couldn't help but notice that my attraction to her ran far deeper. I wanted her so badly a part of me thought I might die if I didn't have her. Bella never had to be jealous. No other girl would ever turn me on like she did without even trying. The bell rang signaling the end of class. I groaned and gave in to one of my urges as I kissed the back of her neck. She shivered, and I pulled away.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bells," I said, leaving the room before she could tell me off. I almost ran to the bathroom, threw myself in the stall and tore my jeans down.

When school ended I was leaning against my bike relaxed and my wolf was settled after I relived myself. I saw Bella as she got in her truck. She unzipped her jacket, put her hood down, and fluffed her damp hair, captivating me. She was stunning.

She looked my way and caught me staring. She quickly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in her rush. Lucky for the Toyota, she hit the brake in time. She carefully pulled out again, without having almost hitting someone this time.

I waved at her, smirking at how I affected her. At least it wasn't just me who lost my control around her. She blushed and stared straight ahead as she passed me. God, she was amazing and she was mine.

'_Mine,'_ my wolf growled and I laughed out loud.

"Ours," I agreed.

* * *

><p><span><strong>*Present*<strong>

I cleaned up the table, clean off my dad's ramp and shoveled the driveway before heading to school. I sat in the parking lot waiting for Bella. I needed to see. She was so clumsy that she'd probably need my help getting across the parking lot and if she didn't then I could walk her to class. Maybe carry her books or something.

She wasn't here yet, but could I hear the roar of her truck's engine in the distance. I leaned against my bike to wait. She drove slowly into the parking lot, her eyes intent on the road and her hands tight on the wheel. Of course Bella would drive more carefully in the snow. She parked not too far from me, but she hadn't noticed me standing here yet, staring at her. I wondered what she would do when she did.

Would she smile at me? Would she be nervous? She got out of the truck carefully, testing the slick ground before she put her weight on it. She didn't look up, which made my decision for me. I'd go talk to her. I opened my mouth to call out to her when she did something odd.

Instead of turning toward the school, she made her way to the rear of her truck, clinging to the side of the truck bed, not trusting her footing. It made me smile, and she was so cute. She looked like she was going to fall, the way her feet were sliding around. I was about to go help her when Quil slapped me on the back.

"What are you look at, Bro?" he asked, and I pointed at Bella.

She paused there, staring down with a loving expression on her face. She must have found the snow chains Charlie put on her car.

"Go talk to your girl man," he said, shoving me.

"I'm going, I'm going," I said, smiling just as Tyler's van rounded the corner.

Tyler's van - the tires right now hitting the ice at the worst possible angle - was going to spin across the lot and crush the girl who had managed to hold my heart since I was just a boy. Bella, standing in the exactly wrong place at the back of her truck, looked up, panicked by the sound of the screeching tires. She looked straight into my terrified eyes, and then turned to watch her approaching death.

'_No!'_ my wolf howled.

"No!" I shouted as I hurled myself across the lot, throwing myself between the skidding van and my Bella.

I moved so fast that everything was a streaky blur except for the object of my focus. She didn't see me – no normal person could see me when I ran at full speed- still staring at the enormous van that was about squish her like a bug.

I caught her around the waist, moving with too much determination to be as gentle as she would need me to be. I yanked her out of the way and I crashed into to the ground with her in my arms, when I heard her head crack against the ice, I felt rage go through me. I was going to kill him! If Tyler survived this accident, I was going to kill him myself. I heard the van behind us, grating and squealing as it twisted around the sturdy iron body of the girl's truck. It was changing course, arcing, coming for her again - like she was a magnet, pulling it toward us.

I had already done too much. As I'd nearly soared through the air to push her out of the way, I'd been fully aware of what I was doing. What I was about to do next could ruin everything. It could expose my pack. It could expose the leeches. There's no way this could end good but I didn't care. I put her down and threw my hands out, catching the van before it could come near my Bella. The force of it hurled me back into the car parked beside her truck, and I could feel its frame buckle behind my shoulders. The van shuddered and shivered against the unyielding obstacle of my arms, before stopping.

I knew that I was in the middle of a disaster. How much had she seen? Had any other witnesses watched me appear at her side and then push the van away? But I was too worried to really care about the threat of exposure. I pulled Bella close to me and breathed in her vanilla, strawberry scent and listened to her heart beat. I felt her soft body, pressed against mine - even through the double obstacle of our jackets, and I thanked God that she was alive. I was so happy that I didn't even care about the screaming of the witnesses around me, I leaned down to study her face, to see if she was conscious - hoping fiercely that she was not bleeding anywhere. Her eyes were open, staring in shock.

"Bella?" I asked, urgently. "Bells, honey, can you hear me? Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She said, in a dazed voice.

Relief, so powerful it was nearly agony, washed through me at the sound of her voice. I felt tears come to my eyes as I thought about how close I was to never hearing her voice again.

She struggled to sit up, but I was not ready to let her go.

"Do you hurt anywhere? You hit your head pretty hard." I said, still angry at Tyler.

"Ow," she said, her tone shocked as she realized I was right about her head.

"That's what I thought." I said, hoping she didn't have a concussion.

"How in the..." Her voice trailed off, and her eyelids fluttered "How did you get over here so fast and how did you…How did you stop the van?"

I looked up at met the concerned looks of Quil and Embry then the furious gaze of the Cullens.

_**I was so screwed!**_

* * *

><p><strong>{Bella's P.O.V}<strong>

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on when I heard someone yell. I looked up in time to see the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked, and spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck and I was standing between them.

I wanted to run but I couldn't move my legs. Why couldn't I move my legs? I wanted to scream, but I couldn't draw air into my lungs. I couldn't breathe! As I watched it came closer and closer, I turned my head, begging my legs to work, and found my eyes meeting the horror struck figure of Jacob Black before he vanished before my eyes. I looked back at the truck and closed my eyes not wanting to see my death.

"No!" someone yelled.

_**Bam!**_

Suddenly I was snatched out of the way and I hit the ground. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and a weight settled on my body and made me to groan heavily as I felt something solid and hot pinning me to the ground.

I opened my eyes to see Jacob Black on top of me. How did he get over here so fast? He stood up and I saw the van coming around to crush us both. Jacob put me down and stood up. I was about to scream for him to run when he held out his hands and caught the van like it was a ball. I stared at him amazed. The force of it threw him back into the car parked beside my truck, and the car shook with a loud crash, but Jacob continued standing. The van trembled and quaked against his arms, before stopping then it was silent for one long second before the screaming began.

I stared at Jacob unable to believe what had just happened. Did he really just do that?

He turned back to me and pulled me into his arms. I instantly relaxed. Even with all the chaos, I felt warm, protected, and safe. I could hear more than one person shouting. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Jacob Black's voice, wild with anxiety in my ear.

"Bella?" Jacob asked, his voice still tense, but not as wild as before. "Bells, honey, can you hear me? Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.

"Oh!" he gasped, relief washing over his features, as I struggled. "Do you hurt anywhere? You hit your head pretty hard."

I became aware of an excruciating pain centered above my left ear.

"Ow," I said, surprised, that I hadn't noticed it before

"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was really, really worried.

"How in the..." I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast and how did you…How did you stop the van?"

His eyes darkened as he hesitated, looking toward the crowd then he looked down at me and smirked.

"I run a lot of track. I could be a star one day." He lied, answering one question and ignoring the other.

I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as close to me as he could in the restricted space.

"You didn't answer my question," I stated, quietly as I looked at his face.

His eyes were tight with apprehension and before I could say anything else, he slipped away just as a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at me, gathered around.

I stared at them confused as their faces began to blur and their voices became inaudible then everything went black…

My eyes fluttered opened to be met with white walls, my nose was invaded with the strong smell of disinfectant and my ears rang because of the constant beeping coming from somewhere around me.

I lifted up from the bed and looked around. I was in the emergency room. I took a deep breath as I recalled what happened earlier came back and immediately felt nauseous. The metallic scent of rust and salt which I hadn't noticed over the smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils and I gagged. My head felt like was about to explode and I pressed my hand to my forehead to calm my raging headache.

Was I bleeding?

I looked over and realized that I wasn't alone. I recognized Tyler Crowley from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed.

"I'm fine, Tyler - you look awful, are you all right?" I asked, covering my nose and looking away from him.

He ignored me. "I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong..." he started but I cut him off.

"Don't worry about it; you missed me." I said, not wanting him to torture himself.

It was an accident that could have been deadly but, other than a headache and some nausea, I wasn't hurt.

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone..." Tyler questioned as a nurse walked in to change his bandages.

"You're awake," she said, looking at me surprised. She paged someone and began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek.

I winched, trying not to show how close I was to fainting.

Tyler was looking at me expectantly as the nurse started dabbing at his face and I wondered how I should answer his question.

"I don't know. It's all a blur. I'm just lucky I guess," I lied, before I could stop myself. I was surprised by how steady my voice sounded. Tyler nodded believing me.

"Wow, it was all so fast, I guess you probably blocked it out," he said and I didn't say anything. I didn't trust myself to lie that well twice. Another nurse came in and put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue cutting off the conversation.

I knew I wasn't crazy but there was no way to explain away what I'd seen. They wheeled me away then, to X-ray my head. I was happy to get away from Tyler before I finally gave in and passed out. I was lucky…no concussion or any other serious injuries. I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to a doctor first. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting for my doctor, with Tyler. Thankfully, the nurse had finished changing his bandages and I didn't have to deal with the sickening smell of his blood anymore.

Tyler kept apologizing and promising to make it up to me; I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself. I felt guilty. If I had stayed home today then Tyler wouldn't have almost hit me…But then he might have hit someone else so I guess it was good I came to school.

I closed my eyes and hoped that Charlie hadn't told my mom. She'd be worrying herself into a crazed frenzy. Thinking of Charlie…where was he? Did the school tell him I was here?

"Bella, you have a visitor," the nurse said, giggling. What was so funny?

"Why are you pretending to be sleeping?" a husky voice asked.

My eyes flew open. Jacob was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking. I glared at him.

"Your boyfriend was really worried about you," the nurse said, walking out of the room before I could tell her that he wasn't my boyfriend.

"Hey, Jacob, I'm sorry-" Tyler began. Jacob glared at him.

"Next time, watch where you're going; you could have killed her!" he growled. H

e moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing me. He smirked again.

"So, what's the verdict?" he asked me.

"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained. Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young; he was blond... and he attractive in a fake kind of perfect way; like he was photo-shopped or something. He was pale though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. Who was this guy?

"Good evening, Miss Swan, I'm Dr. Cullen," Dr. Cullen said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly, hoping he'd say I could leave. He walked to the light board on the wall over my head, and turned it on.

"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? The report said you hit it pretty hard."

"It's fine," I said, wondering if he was going to make me stay overnight for observation.

The doctor's ice-cold fingers probed lightly along my skull and I flinched. I heard a growl and looked over to see Jacob, who was glaring at Dr. Cullen, trembling with barely repressed fury, looking like he wanted to murder someone. My eyes narrowed.

"Tender?" Dr. Cullen asked, not looking toward Jacob.

"Just a headache," I mumbled I didn't want to insult him by bringing up the coldness of his hands. He probably had poor circulation or something.

"Well, your father is in the waiting room - you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."

"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, not wanting to be a burden on Charlie.

"Maybe you should take it easy today. You did faint," The doctor advised. I glanced at Jacob.

"What if Jacob offered to help me out for the day?" I asked, I had a lot of questions to ask him anyway.

Dr. Cullen hesitated, glancing at Jacob who stared coldly back at him.

"I have no control over what Mr. Black does." He finally said.

"I'll stay with you," Jacob said, turning to me, ignoring the doctor.

"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "Bella has a few visitors in the waiting room."

"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my hands. What if it was my mom? She was probably driving herself off the wall.

Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"

"No, I'm good!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and leaping off hastily.

Too hastily – I stumbled and Jacob caught me and steadied me.

"Bella, you okay?" Jacob whispered anxiously, worry creasing his forehead.

"I'm fine," I assured him. "I'm just a major klutz," I admitted.

Jacob grinned. "That's not true. No one falls into my arms quite as gracefully as you do,"

I made a face. Was that a compliment?

"…Thank you," I said slowly.

Jacob nodded and patted my back. "You're welcome," he said.

"Take some Tylenol for the pain," Dr. Cullen suggested as Jacob let me go.

"It doesn't hurt that bad," I insisted.

"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed my chart.

"Yeah, I always have good luck when I'm with Jacob," I joked, but I sent him a hard glance to let him know I remembered what happened.

"Oh, well, that's nice," Dr. Cullen said, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him.

Then he looked away at Tyler, and walked to the next bed. I felt like something was off. Did the doctor know about what happened? Was he in on it?

"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts.

As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Jacob's side.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked, trying not to sound wary.

He took a step back from me, his expression changing. He realized what I wanted to talk about and his jaw suddenly clenched.

"No," he said, indifferently, walking away from me.

It hurt with a surprising intensity—like someone had stabbed me in the chest. I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler before following after him. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, he spun around to face me. His eyes were stony and his face was unreadable.

"Why are you following me?" he asked in a firm, gruff voice.

I took a deep breath. "How did you stop the van?" I asked.

He didn't answer. He just stared at me penetratingly. He didn't respond in any way; his face didn't change. His coldness intimidated me. He was so different from the guy I'd come to know in the last few weeks.

"What are you talking about?" he finally said.

"You were by your car. Then you disappeared and suddenly I was pulled out of the way of the van and you were pinning me to the ground. Then you stood up and that van was going to crush us both – and you stopped it, and your hands left dents in the side of it - and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all and I other than a headache I don't have a scratch on me. Would you care to explain how that happened?" I stated, crossing my arms to seem tougher than I really was.

Jacob was quiet for a minute then he rolled his eyes and came closer to me.

"You hit your head pretty hard, didn't you?" he said, brushing my hair out of my face and caressing my cheek.

"I know what I saw," I said, pushing him away.

"You were by your car-" I started but Jacob interrupted me.

"No, I wasn't." he said casually.

"I saw you." I repeated, refusing to let it go. I was right, and he was going to admit it.

"Bella, I was on my way over to you to say _**'Hi'**_ when I noticed the van coming, so I sprinted over and I tackled you out of the way." He stared fiercely into my eyes, and his voice was harsh as he leaned against me, his arm on both sides of my body keeping me where I was.

I couldn't breathe, speak, swallow or hear anything outside of my own painfully thudding heartbeat. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights. He spoke the words right into my face; his breath was as hot as his skin, as if trying to communicate something crucial.

"No." I set my jaw and shook my head, refusing to let him lie to me.

"You fainted…You don't know-" he started but I shook my head again.

"No," I repeated. His dark eyes blazed and he let down his guard.

"Please, Bella." He begged his voice filled with distress.

"Why?" I demanded.

"Trust me," he whispered, anxiously, the pleading in his voice overpowering.

"I barely know you," I stated and Jacob recoiled, moving away from me.

His face returned back to the hard facade that he was hiding behind, but all I could see was the pain in his eyes.

"You're right. You barely know me. I want to explain—" He broke off and shook his head. Then he sucked in a deep breath. "But I can't explain…not now." he said, calmly. "I wish I could."

"You owe me an explanation," I argued.

"I told you- I can't tell you anything." He said.

I flinched back from the bitterness in his voice.

"Can you give me something?" I asked.

He glared back. "What do you want from me, Bella?"

"I want to know the truth," I said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."

"I never asked you to lie for me!" he snapped, losing it. "I didn't ask for you to come here and disrupt everything I worked so hard to build! I never asked for any of this! You should have stayed in Phoenix!"

His face was stressed, cautious; the wrath never fully left his eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry that I came to Forks and met a bipolar asshole like you!" I cursed, I was so mad I could feel the tears coming; I tried to force them back by grinding my teeth together.

He studied my face for a long moment, speculating; the anger draining from his face at the sight of my tears.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I didn't mean it. I just…I don't know what…" he stopped talking and closed his eyes.

"Jacob, please," I whispered "Won't you tell me what happened?"

But Jacob didn't seem to be listening. He was taking deep, slow breaths, trying to calm himself.

"I won't tell you," he finally said, proving that he'd heard me.

"Why?" I asked. "I'm not going to tell anybody." I promised.

Surprise flitted across his face. "I didn't think you would." He said.

He shook his head. "Anyway it doesn't matter." He said.

"It matters to me," I insisted. "I don't like to lie - so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it."

He raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "I saved your life. You should be thanking me, instead of interrogating me."

"Thank you." I said, sincerely.

Then I waited for him to tell me. He chuckled.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" he said.

"No." I said stubbornly.

"In that case... There's nothing more to say." He said.

I gaped. "There's everything more to say! You haven't said anything yet!"

We scowled at each other in silence. He suddenly started to walk past me, striding back down the hall.

"Why did you even bother?" I yelled after him.

He paused, and for a brief moment he paused, mid-step, and whirled to face me. His face was unexpectedly vulnerable. His expression was wounded.

"Because I didn't want you to die," he whispered. And then he turned his back on me and walked away.

I was so lost; it took me a few minutes until I could move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit at the end of the hallway. The waiting room was not as unpleasant as I'd feared. Mike and Jessica were sitting with Charlie. Charlie rushed to my side and pulled me into a tight hug.

"There's nothing wrong with me," I assured him, patting his back.

"What did the doctor say?" he asked, pulling away enough to see my face.

"Dr. Cullen saw me, and he said I was fine and I could go home." I explained and Charlie let me go.

I sighed in relief before I was pulled into another hug.

"Bella, I thought you were dead!" Jessica said, crying openly.

"I'm fine, Jess," I said, surprised.

I didn't know she cared about me that much. She held me, babbling apologies about something but she was crying so hard that I couldn't understand her.

"Let her go, Jess," Mike said, trying to pry Jessica off of me.

Jessica latched on to Charlie, who looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"I'm glad you're okay, Bella," Mike said, patting my arm.

"Thank you," I said, glad that he wasn't being as hysterical as Jessica. Charlie managed to get away from Jessica and came to stand beside me.

"Let's go," I urged.

Charlie put one arm over my shoulder, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved awkwardly at my friends, hoping to convey that they didn't need to worry anymore. We drove in silence. I wanted to say something to Charlie but I couldn't think of anything.

"_Hey, Dad, sorry I almost died, but thanks for the snow chains. I'm sure they would have been a big help later when I drove home…You know, if I hadn't almost been crushed,"_ I thought.

When we got to the house, Charlie finally spoke.

"Um... you'll need to call Renée." He hung his head, guilty.

"You told Mom," I said, evenly.

"Sorry." He said, sheepishly.

I rushed out of the cruiser, hoping to talk to my mom before she made herself sick. My mom was in hysterics, of course.

"Mom, I'm okay." I repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

I'd been on the phone with her for over three hours and she was only just calming down. She begged me to come home - forgetting the fact that home was empty at the moment – and it took everything I had not to pack up and leave. This _was the out I'd been looking for but…_

_"Relax, it's just a classroom." a deep, rich, husky voice called from somewhere to my left._

_I turned around and saw a man leaning against the wall with one foot propped against the wall while the other long leg braced holding him upright under a shelter._

_His eyes were lowered to a piece of paper in his free hand. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt, a brown leather jacket, and a tight pair of black jeans that looked molded to fit the heavy muscles and show off those long legs._

_He glanced up, meeting my eyes, and I stopped breathing..._

I was consumed by the mystery Jacob presented, and more than a little interested in Jacob himself. How could he be so compassionate and concerned one minute and so cold the next?

* * *

><p><strong>Stupid (adjective): not intelligent: having or showing a lack of ability to learn and understand things: not sensible or logical.<strong>

**Full Definition of STUPID**

**1a: slow of mind: obtuse**

**B: given to unintelligent decisions or acts: acting in an unintelligent or careless manner**

**C: lacking intelligence or reason**

**2: marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or acting**

**Synonyms include; unwise, ridiculous, irresponsible, ill-advised, and **_**Bella Swan.**_

* * *

><p>I didn't want to leave Forks and it wasn't just because of Jacob Black. I was finding out things about Charlie, I had friends, real live people, who cared whether I lived or died. I still missed my mother though, but other than being worried she didn't seem to really need me anymore. Charlie needed me. He couldn't cook and he needed someone to keep the house clean. After my mom hung up, I went to make dinner for Charlie but he refused to let me cook.<p>

"I'll order a pizza," he said, "You go relax," he said.

I wanted to argue but I'd done that enough for one day. I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. I took a few Tylenol from the bathroom as the discomfort eased, I drifted to sleep.

That was the first night I dreamed of Jacob Black.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note; I hope you enjoyed the insight into the mind of Jacob Black. <strong>

**I'd like to thank April-Shower82 for all her hard work editing this story. **

**She is amazing! Here's a link to an interview she did. **

dcmllbeautifulmess. ?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=twitterfeed&m=1

**check it out, okay! **

**Please review and Pm you thoughts.**

**Constructive criticism welcome. **

**No flames!**


	5. Chapter 4: Invitations

**Daybreak**

**Summary: What if Bella had met Alpha Jacob before Edward? What if Jacob went to the same high school as Bella? How would these change things?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Chapter Four: INVITATIONS**

"**I get up and pace the room, as if I can leave my guilt behind me. But it tracks me as I walk, an ugly shadow made by myself." ― Rosamund Lupton, Sister**

* * *

><p><em>In my dream it was very dark, and I seemed to be walking in an endless circle. I was following someone but I couldn't see his face, just his back as he walked away from me, always staying in sight but always three steps ahead. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't catch up to him. Finally I shouted at him.<em>

"_Wait please!" I cried._

_The man paused and waited for me to catch up. Just as I made it to his side I tripped and just as I was about to fall he caught me. I looked up to thank him and found myself staring into the dark, beautiful eyes of Jacob Black._

_I gasped and jumped away. Jacob just stared at me, eyes glowing with amusement._

"_W-why are you here?" I asked, confused._

_He chuckled and tilted his head slowly, gazing at me like a predator on the hunt. One side of his mouth lifted into the barest hint of a smile. _

_"I was looking for you," he said quietly, as he came close enough to touch, towering over me._

_I looked up, stunned. _

_"Why were you looking for me here?" I asked, looking around the dark forest. _

"_Where else would I find such a beautiful woman such as you?" he asked, as his voice lowered, soft and rich as he reached out to stroke my cheek. _

_My breath caught, as the heat from his hand caressed my face and I leaned into his touch._

_"Have you forgiven him, Bella?" He asked, and I remembered the fight I'd had with Jacob earlier in the hospital. _

_I jumped back, one hand flying to my cheek as I blushed, angry at myself for forgetting. _

_Jacob chuckled and I glared at him._

_"Are you ready to tell me the truth, yet?" I asked._

_"Still stuck on that? You're a stubborn one, huh?" He paused, watching the anger cross my face._

_"I wouldn't be so stubborn if you would stop being such an ass and tell me the truth," I replied. _

_"Let me show you something," Jacob said, as he took my hand and led me through the forest._

_As we walked, he spoke of animals that lived in the forest and handed me berries from a bush to try. _

"_I really missed you, today," he said._

_I laughed._

"_You just saw me a couple of hours ago and we argued," I said._

_Jacob shrugged. _

"_I know, but being without you for longer than a minute is too long," he admitted and to my surprise a flood of happiness washed over me._

_Even though this was a dream, it was still nice to know he enjoys my company. This was nice and even though I was still angry and suspicious of Real Jacob I just wanted to keep on feeling good and talking to him. I was staring at him amazed by the tenderness in his eyes._

_He was stunning and exposed. _

_He was witty, and pleasant. _

"_If the real Jacob ever took me on an adventure like this I'd think he was a mind reader," I said, laughing._

_Dream Jacob froze. _

"_Real Jacob?" he questioned._

_I nodded._

"_This is just a dream," I stated._

_Jacob frowned. _

"_Bella," he said and paused._

"_Yes," I said, confused._

"_Are you ready to forgive him, yet?" he asked._

_I shook my head._

"_No," I admitted. "Not until he tells me the truth,"_

_He frowned. _

"_Things aren't always as black and white as they appear. What's the difference between the truth and silence?" he muttered._

"_What are you talking about?" I asked._

_Jacob surprised me. Cupping the back of my neck, he brought his mouth to mine, possessing and owning in a way that I couldn't describe. Our lips touched and, even though this was just part of my dream, it was the best kiss of my life. _

_His lips, firm and searing, moved against mine until I was gasping for breath. He captured the sound, taking advantage of my open lips to run his tongue along them. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss, as he dived deeper._

_It was like fire and heaven and everything in between rolled up in one._

_It felt like I was being consumed as I kissed him back desperately. I met Jacob's tongue with my own and was rewarded with a low groan as he tightened his grip._

_When he pulled away, I was so weak at the knees that I fell against him._

"_In case I never get to do that," he said, sadly._

"_Jacob, why did you…?" I didn't get to finish the question because Jacob let go off me and took off into the woods, ripping his clothes off as he went._

_When he was gone I stood there, listening to the mournful cry of a lone wolf in the distance._

* * *

><p>Troubled, I woke with a start, shooting straight up in bed, and froze wide eyed unable to believe how vivid and real the dream had been. I brought my fingers to my lips surprised they weren't hot from Jacob's heated skin. I wasn't prepared for the emptiness that spread throughout my body.<p>

It was a long time before I was able to go back to sleep.

After that, he was in my dreams nearly every night, but he never kissed me again and he always stayed at a distance. Sometimes we talked, well I talked and he'd listen. Sometimes we'd just walk in silence until it was time for me to wake up.

The month that followed the accident was…tense.

To my disappointment, I found myself the center of attention for the rest of that week. Tyler Crowley was drowning in guilt. He was following me around, obsessed with making amends to me somehow.

I tried to convince him what I wanted more than anything was for him to stop torturing himself. He followed me between classes and sat next to me at lunch, constantly apologizing. Mike was annoyed with his behavior and made a point to remind him what he almost did at every turn.

"Hey, Tyler, how was your week?" Mike asked, after Tyler and I sat down at the lunch table.

Tyler insisted on carrying my lunch.

"_That's really unnecessary. I can carry my own lunch!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my temper in check._

_I wasn't a child. I could carry my own lunch. _

"_I almost killed you. The least I can do for you is take your lunch to the table," he said, paying for my food._

"My week was okay," Tyler mumbled but I could tell he was lying.

He looked pale and worn-out; like he hadn't been sleeping and he wasn't eating his lunch.

"That's good," Mike said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "It would be a shame if you almost ran over someone else," he added.

Tyler looked down.

"Leave him alone," I said, glaring at Mike.

"I'm only joking around." Mike said, looking at Tyler.

"Did they let you keep your license? After what you did I'm surprised Chief Swan didn't put you in jail," Mike commented.

Charlie had been livid. If it wasn't for the fact that I refused to press charges then I think Tyler would be rotting in jail for a long time.

"Shut up," I growled.

Tyler looked miserable.

"I'll see you around, Bella." He said, standing up.

"You don't have to go," I said.

"Yeah, I just remembered something I have to do. I'm sorry again Bella." He said, leaving the cafeteria.

"What's wrong with you?" I snapped at Mike.

"What?" he said, faking confusion.

"It's obvious that the guy feels bad enough already," I said.

Mike shrugged.

"It's not enough," Mike said.

"Why not? I'm here! I'm fine! Why can't you just let it go?" I hissed.

"Because he could have killed you!" Mike snapped. "I don't even know how you managed to survive the accident! You could've been dead and unlike you that's not something that I'm willing to let go of!" he stormed off.

The next day, Tyler came to school on a bike. He followed me around, carrying my books, apologizing and trying to make amends. During lunch he gave Mike his license…what was left of it anyway. Last night, he'd cut it in half with a pair of scissors then put it in the shredder when that didn't feel like enough.

"Is this supposed to impress me?" Mike asked, barely glancing at the remains of Tyler's license. "Put yourself in the shredder and then get back to me,"

Tyler looked agonized.

"There's nothing I can do to make this right," he told me.

"Don't let Mike get to you," I said, patting his shoulder.

"You can say it, Bella. You think I'm a horrible person," he accused.

"I've seen terrible people and you aren't one of them," I said.

I could tell that he didn't believe me and I wasn't sure what else I could do.

No one seemed concerned about Jacob, though that was probably because I didn't tell anyone what he did. I just kept using the excuse that I didn't remember or that I was just lucky. I don't know why I was lying for him considering that he wasn't talking to me. How pathetic was that?

Embry, Quil and Jacob sat at the same table as always, eating, and talking only among themselves. Embry and Quil sent what they thought were subtle glances my way but Jacob said something and they stopped. Jacob looked at me and frowned before he looked away. When he sat next to me in class, always as close to me as the table would allow without him being on top of me, he looked so stony and reserved. Even when we had to do group projects we barely talked. His hand no longer brushed mine and he no longer joked or smirked. It felt like we were strangers.

Sometimes, I'd look up from whatever the assignment was and find him staring at me out of the corner of his eye with this troubled expression. Like there was something he wanted to say but he never spoke to me again.

Some days Tyler would carry my books to class for me or show up just as class was ending to see if he could help me with anything. On those days Jacob's fists would suddenly ball up, and he'd stare out the window.

What was his problem?

Did he wish that he hadn't pulled me from the path of Tyler's van?

Was he mad that I knew about his super powers?

I was almost positive that he was secretly superman but I had no way to be sure.

There was no other conclusion I could come to.

I did some research but unless he was secretly an Alien, a lab experiment, or was maybe taking steroids than I was at a lost.

I wanted very much to talk to him, but I wasn't sure what to say. The last time I'd seen him, outside the ER, we'd both been so angry and we'd said some stuff that we didn't mean. I shouldn't have pushed him to tell me. He had just saved my life, no matter how he'd done it. And, overnight, the heat of my anger faded into guilt.

He was already seated when I got to Biology, looking at me before I even came through the door. I sat down, expecting him to turn away from me. But he didn't. He looked directly at me with an edgy expression then turned to look at the board. He was already seated when I got to Biology, looking at me before I even came through the door. I sat down, expecting him to turn away from me. But he didn't. He looked directly at me with a wounded expression then turned to look at the board.

"Hello, Jacob," I said pleasantly, to show him I wasn't mad anymore.

He turned his head snapped up, meeting my gaze. He stared at me for a moment.

"Hey Bells," he said his voice low, a hint of a smile forming.

Then he nodded once, and then looked the other way.

And that was the last contact I'd had with him, though he was there, a foot away from me, every day. I watched him sometimes, unable to stop myself- from a distance, though, in the cafeteria or parking lot.

I watched as the bags under his eyes grew perceptibly darker day by day; like he wasn't sleeping. But in class I ignored his staring just as he ignored mine.

I was glum. And the dreams continued.

* * *

><p><em>In my dreams, I'd chase dream Jacob through the woods.<em>

"_Why won't you talk to me, anymore?" I'd ask._

_Dream Jacob would just look back at me with a longing look, never slowing his stride._

"_Because there is nothing I can say," he'd said._

* * *

><p>The shortness of my e-mails alerted my mom to my depression and she called a few times, concerned. I confessed that I was having issues with a boy but I refused to give her the details. It wasn't just Jacob and Tyler that had me down it the weather too. I missed the sun.<p>

Mike was really starting to upset me. Every time I almost had Tyler in a better mood, Mike would say something and everything would crumble.

"Why are you so hard on him?" I asked.

Mike glared at me.

"Not everyone is as lucky as you and it pisses me of that he didn't get any jail time. If it had been anyone else they probably wouldn't be as forgiving," he growled and I flinched, surprised by his hostility.

"What's wrong with you? He's doing the best he can," I scolded.

"Yeah, well his best isn't good enough so leave me alone!" he shouted, causing others to look in our direction.

"Well, it doesn't concern you so mind your business," I said, firmly.

"Well, my issue with Tyler doesn't concern you either but here you are," he shot back.

We argued for a while before I gave up. Mike wasn't backing down and I wasn't sure what else I could do.

I sighed and turned around to go to my class.

Jacob stood there, leaning against the lockers, watching me with an indecipherable expression.

"What?" I blurted.

"You'll forgive and accept someone who almost killed you but you won't talk to me because I won't tell you how I was able to save your life?" he asked.

I stared at him for a moment, unable to respond.

"He didn't do it on purpose," I mumbled, finally.

Jacob nodded and walked past me without another word.

The snow washed away for good after that one hazardously icy day. Mike was disappointed he'd never gotten to stage his snowball fight, but pleased that the beach trip would soon be possible. Tyler was glad that there wouldn't be any more accidents. The rain continued heavily, though, and the weeks passed.

Jessica reminded me of the girls' choice spring dance in two weeks.

"I'm going to ask Mike." She said, cheerfully on the phone.

"That's great," I said, not wanting her to know that I wasn't on such friendly terms with Mike at the moment.

"So are you going to ask anyone?" she questioned.

"No, Jess, I'm not going," I admitted.

I was a terrible dancer. I was kicked out of ballet class when I was nine because there was nothing more the teacher could do for me.

"You can't just 'Not' go." She persisted. "It won't be as much fun without you,"

"You'll have fun with Mike," I encouraged.

"Alright, but I'm not giving up on you, Belle," Jessica said, before changing the subject.

"Did you hear about what happened with Tyler and Lauren?" she asked.

"No," I said.

"Well, Lauren was asking Tyler if he wanted to go to the dance with her and he just blew her off! They've been growing apart lately. I think he's planning on breaking up with her," she gossiped.

I instantly felt horrible. Tyler had been going through so much lately. I didn't even think about what was happening to his relationship with Lauren.

Lauren was the tall, leggy, blonde who always ignored me during lunch. She was gorgeous and popular with her unkind blue eyes, her sarcastic smile, and model like figure.

It was hard to picture her having relationship issues. But, according to Jessica, her relationship with Tyler was falling apart.

Lauren and Tyler had starting dating three months before I moved from Phoenix and had apparently been inseparable. Now it was rare to see them together. Lauren was always either alone or with her friends and Tyler was always...with me.

Was his guilt over the accident ruining his relationship too?

It was hard to feel sorry for Lauren. She reminded me a lot of the girls who used to pick on me back in Phoenix. But I'd talk to Tyler and see if I could get him to talk to Lauren.

Jessica and I talked for a few more minutes before I had to get off the phone so I could make dinner for Charlie.

Charlie had been acting weird around me. He was acting like I was made out of glass or something. He barely let me cook and told me that I didn't have to do anything around the house. Most kids would be happy not to have to do anything but it was driving me crazy. I needed to feel useful.

I got to work in the kitchen; I was going to make his favorite dinner, Grilled Steak with Roasted Potatoes, then I was going to clean the house before Charlie got home and hid the cleaning supplies.

Charlie came home sooner than expected and I quickly hid the broom before he caught me sweeping.

"What are you doing?" he asked, as he walked in the kitchen.

"I made dinner," I blurted, trying to distract him.

"You didn't have to do that. I was going to take us out to eat," Charlie said and I hurried to set the table.

"I don't mind cooking," I said, as Charlie took the plates from me.

"Well, since you cooked I can set the table," he said, and I wanted to scream.

What was up with guys treating me like I couldn't do anything? I wasn't incompetent!

"I can do that," I said, trying to disguise my irritation.

"I got it. Why don't you sit down while I go get the food?" he suggested.

I nodded and walked around him. I defiantly picked up the plate of stakes and set them on the table. Charlie grabbed the potatoes and did the same. After we sat down and Charlie said that he would go grocery shopping with me tomorrow I decided to broach the subject of Charlie's treatment of me.

"You know I can go grocery shopping alone," I said.

"I don't mind going with you," he said, as he took a bite of his steak.

"I know you don't, Dad," I said quietly. "But I wanted to go by myself,"

"What if something happens?" Charlie said.

"Nothing is going to happen," I assured him.

"Your right," he agreed and I smiled.

"Nothing is going to happen because I'm going to be there to make sure that you stay safe," he said. "And we're going out for dinner tomorrow, so don't cook anything,"

I wanted to push but Charlie had been stressed lately and I didn't want to put too much pressure on him. I'd call mom later and ask if she could talk to him.

The next day, I was surprised that Jessica wasn't her usual chatty self in Trig and Spanish. She was silent as she walked by my side between classes.

"What's wrong, Jess?" I asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said, but I could tell she was lying.

"Did something happen with Mike?" I pressed.

Jessica said nothing and I let it drop.

If Mike had turned her down, then I was going to give him a piece of my mind. First he was being mean to Tyler and now Jessica? What was wrong with him? My suspicions were strengthened during lunch when Jessica sat as far from Mike as possible, ignoring him as she talked to me about homework. Mike was unusually quiet.

Mike was still quiet as he walked with me to class, the uncomfortable look on his face a bad sign. But he didn't broach the subject until after class, I was still in my seat and he stood next to my desk. As always, I was entirely too aware of Jacob sitting close enough to touch. Instead of leaving like he usually did, today he continued to sit with us. He stared at us with annoyance and I felt my temper spark. After our last conversation, I realized that we would probably never get over this issue

"So, did Jessica ask you to the dance?" I asked, trying to pretend I didn't know.

"Yes, she did," Mike said, looking at the floor. "I told her I had to think about it." He said.

"Why would you do that?" I let disapproval color my tone.

It was obvious to anyone who had eyes that Jessica liked him. There was no reason for him to turn her down…unless…

"Did someone else already ask you?" I questioned.

His face was bright red as he looked down again.

"Actually, I was wondering if... well, if you might be planning to ask me." He asked.

I paused for a moment, with the arguments we'd been having lately I don't know why he would even consider that I would ask him. I saw, from the corner of my eye, Jacob's head turned in my direction. He was looking at us, his eyes darkened with anger.

"Mike, I think you should tell her yes," I said.

"Did you already ask someone?" he asked, looking disappointed.

Did Jacob notice how Mike's eyes flickered in his direction?

"No," I said shortly.

"I'm not going to the dance at all." I admitted.

"Why not?" Mike demanded.

I don't dance.

I _can't_ dance.

"I'm going to Seattle that Saturday," I blurted. I needed to get out of town anyway - it was suddenly the perfect time to go. If only my mom could get Charlie to stop being so damn overprotective!

"Can't you go some other weekend?" he asked.

"Why should I? Either way I'm not going to the dance," I said. "So you shouldn't make Jess wait any longer- she might ask someone else." I warned.

"Yeah, you're right," he mumbled, and turned, crestfallen, to walk back to his seat.

I closed my eyes in frustration, there wasn't this much drama in Phoenix. Mr. Banner began talking. I sighed and opened my eyes.

And Jacob was staring at me, that familiar edge of frustration even more distinct now in his dark eyes.

I stared back, surprised, expecting him to look away. But instead he continued to gaze with penetrating intensity into my eyes. There was no question of me looking away. My hands started to shake. I wanted to touch him -More than anything. Just as I was about to move my hand we were interrupted.

"Mr. Black?" the teacher called, seeking the answer to a question that I hadn't heard.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening" Jacob said, seeming reluctant as he turned to look at Mr. Banner.

Mr. Banner smirked.

"Maybe if you spent less time staring at Ms. Swan and more time paying attention to the lesson, you'd know." He said.

Jacob shrugged.

"Probably, but I guess we'll never know," he said.

Mr. Banner huffed and went back to teaching.

I looked down at my book as soon as his eyes released me, trying to find my place. Cowardly as ever, I shifted my hair over my right shoulder to hide my face. I couldn't allow him to have this level of influence over me. He wasn't going to win this. I tried to be civil and I wasn't going to crack because of a pair of intense, dark eyes.

I tried very hard not to be aware of him for the rest of the hour, and, since that was impossible, at least not to let him know that I was aware of him. When the bell rang at last, I turned my back to him to gather my things, expecting him to leave immediately as usual.

"Bells?"

His voice shouldn't have been so familiar to me, as if I'd known the sound of it all my life rather than for just a month.

I turned slowly, reluctantly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I would feel when I looked at his too-handsome face. My expression was wary when I finally turned to him; his expression was pleading. He didn't say anything.

"What? Are you speaking to me again or are you just going to make another snide comment?" I finally asked an unintentional note of sarcasm in my voice.

His lips turned up, forming a smile.

"First, you're the one who stopped talking to me. Second, Yes but I probably shouldn't," he admitted.

"Then what do you want, Jacob?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry, honey," He sounded sincere.

"I wish I could explain. If I could I would tell you everything." He said.

He chuckled bitterly.

"But maybe it's better this way, maybe." His face was very serious.

"I don't know what you mean," I said, my voice guarded.

Jacob looked pained.

"I can't be friends with you. It's too hard," he said.

My eyes narrowed. What was he trying to say?

"It's too bad you didn't figure that out earlier," I hissed through my teeth. "You could have saved yourself all this regret."

"Regret?"

The word, and my tone, obviously caught him off guard. He narrowed his eyes.

"Regret for what?" he asked, harshly.

"For not just letting that stupid van squish me." I said.

He was dumbfounded. He stared at me in disbelief. He started trembling with barely repressed rage.

When he finally spoke, I could tell he was livid.

"You still think I regret saving your life?" he asked.

"I know you do," I snapped.

"You don't know anything!" he snapped back, angrily.

He was definitely mad.

"I don't regret saving you. I do it again in a heartbeat! If you think that I'm that much of a _**monster**_ then maybe I should have been the one to get crushed." He growled.

I turned my head sharply away from him, clenching my jaw against all the wild accusations I wanted to hurl at him. He was still trembling, then his eyes got wide and he turned and ran out of the room.

I gathered my books together, then stood and walked to the door. I meant to sweep dramatically out of the room, but of course I caught the toe of my boot on the door jamb and dropped my books. I stood there for a moment, thinking about leaving them. Then I sighed and bent to pick them up.

A shadow fell over me and I looked up.

It was one of the Cullens.

He was lanky, less bulky than the other two boys I had seen, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was also chalky pale, paler than me, the albino. He had dark shadows under those eyes - purplish, bruise like shadows. Just like Jacob and his friends but his were like he was almost done recovering from a broken nose.

He was nice looking, probably one of the best looking guys I had ever seen.

Not as handsome as Jacob Black, though

"Here," he said in a quiet, musical voice.

He'd already stacked my books into a pile. He handed them to me with a gentlemanly smile.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued.

"I haven't had a chance to introduce myself. You must be Isabella Swan." He said.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped before I could stop myself.

"Oh," he said, looking shocked.

"I mean," I stuttered, surprised at my rudeness.

"I prefer Bella," I said, politely.

"Alright, Bella," he said, his smile growing.

My mind was spinning with confusion. Why was he speaking to me? He was being perfectly polite. But something felt wrong.

"Do you have this class?" I asked, frowning.

I'd never seen him here before.

He laughed a soft, fake laugh.

"Oh, I was just passing by." he said, with a twinkle in his eyes, which were a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone.

I grimaced. What kind of color was that?

"Do you wear contacts?" I blurted.

"No, what makes you say that?" he asked, puzzled.

I looked away. He had to be lying. No one's eyes were just naturally that color.

"No reason," I said.

"Alright then," he said.

Something was off about him. He was just _too_ nice. Was there such a thing as too nice? What was his motive? Why did I think he had a motive?

"I could carry these for you if you want," Edward said, gesturing to the pile of books still in his arms.

"No, I got it." I said, taking my books.

I'd had enough of people treating me like I couldn't do anything by myself.

He stood there as if he were waiting for something. His face frustrated. When he noticed me looking his face instantly shifted back into a smile.

"Thank you," I said, slowly.

His eyes narrowed but he continued to smile.

_God weren't his cheeks tired._

"You're welcome," he said, still waiting.

He leaned closer to me and took a deep breath.

"You smell very nice, Bella," he said.

That was a weird thing to say.

I straightened up swiftly, turned away from him again, and walked off to Gym without looking back.

That guy was creepy and for some reason his cologne smelled like a mix of bleach and cough syrup.

Gym sucked. We'd moved on to basketball. My team learned not to pass me the ball, but not until after I tried to make the basket and it bounced off the rim and hit one my teammates in the face. Then I tripped and fell on our team captain. Mike didn't say anything to me for the rest of the day and I was grateful I wasn't sure how much more of Mike's attitude I could take.

It was a relief, as always, to leave. I almost ran to the truck; there were just so many people I wanted to avoid. The truck had suffered only minimal damage in the accident. I'd had to replace the taillights, and if I'd had a real paint job, I would have touched that up. Tyler's parents had to sell their van for parts another thing he felt guilty for. His parents insurance didn't cover the damages so they had to pay out of pocket.

I almost had a stroke when I rounded the corner and saw a tall, dark figure leaning against the side of my truck. I balled up my fist ready to punch them. Until I realized who it was. I started walking again.

"Hello Lauren," I said.

"Bella," she said, eyes cold and fist clenched.

"What's up?" I said as I was unlocking the door.

"I'm only going to say this once. Stay away from my boyfriend," she ordered.

"What?" I questioned, surprised by the ambush.

"You heard me," she said angrily. "I don't know what you're trying to pull but it's not going to work," she said.

"There is nothing going on between Tyler and me," I said firmly.

"I know, but I'm stopping this thing before it starts. Stay away from my boyfriend." She said.

"Tyler is only hanging out with me because he feels guilty about the accident. Maybe if you talked to him about it-" I started but she cut me off.

"Don't tell me what to do. I don't know why he's so hung up on that. Honestly, it's not like anyone died," She said, with of her hand, like it was nothing.

"Tyler is going through a rough time he needs you to be there for him," I tried to reason.

"And I need him to get over it and man up so he can take me to the dance," she bitched.

Wow, she was really selfish.

"Is this how you talk to him when you're alone? You just tell him to get over it?" I asked, angrily.

'What if I do? "She asked.

"Then I feel sorry for Tyler," I said, before I could stop myself.

Lauren looked hurt and I felt bad, before I could apologize she walked off, back toward the school. I heard someone sigh.

Jacob was walking past the front of my truck, he looked at me then in the direction Lauren went and shook his head in disapproval, frowning. I yanked the door open and jumped inside, slamming it loudly behind me.

What did he know?

I revved the engine deafeningly and reversed out into the aisle. Jacob was on his motorcycle already, two spaces down, sliding out smoothly in front of me, cutting me off.

He stopped there – I guess to wait for his friends; I could see the two of them walking this way, but still by the cafeteria.

Why would he stop in front of me though? It's not like his friends could fit on his bike.

He looked at me and turned off his bike. He looked like he was about to get off and come talk to me when he looked over at something behind me.

While I was sitting there, looking everywhere but at the bike in front of me, I heard a knock on my passenger side window. I looked over; it was Tyler Crowley riding his red bicycle. .

I leaned across the cab to crank the window down. It was stiff. I got it halfway down, and then gave up.

"Hi, Tyler." I said, nervously.

Did he hear what I said to Lauren?

Was he mad?

"Hey, Bella, did you get estimate on how much it'll cost to get that dent out and your paint touched up?" He asked, looking worn-out and dejected.

"My dad said he knows a mechanic who can take care of it," I explained.

"Will you send me the bill afterwards?" he continued.

"I'm not going to let you pay for it. I have insurance and a job." My voice sounded a little sharp.

I had to remember it wasn't his fault that Mike, Jacob and Lauren had already used up my quota of patience for the day.

"Please Bella? I need to make it right," he pleaded.

"You want to make it right -" I hissed, heatedly.

Tyler took a step back, eyes widening and I took a calming breath. Yelling at Tyler wouldn't fix anything.

"Sorry, Tyler," I said, working to hide my exasperation. "If you want to make it right why not start with your girlfriend. I heard she wants to ask you to the dance."

"I can't deal with her right now. She doesn't get it. All she cares about is partying and going to the dance and pretending that everything is fine when it isn't. I just can't do it. Not anymore," He confessed.

And before I could respond, he rode off.

"Send me the bill!" He called, before disappearing.

I could feel the shock on my face. I looked forward to see Embry and Quil walking away from Jacob. I guess they finished they're conversation while I wasn't looking.

Jacob's eyes were on me. He was frowning and looked as if he'd heard every word Tyler had said. My foot itched toward the gas pedal and I revved the engine.

"Move it or lose it," I mouthed.

Jacob smirked and waved before speeding away. I drove home slowly, carefully, muttering to myself the whole way.

When I got home, I decided to make chicken enchiladas for dinner. It was a long process, and it would keep me busy. While I was simmering the onions and chilies, the phone rang. I was almost afraid to answer it, it might be Lauren calling to give me my third warning, but it might be Charlie or my mom.

It was Jessica, and she was ecstatic; Mike had caught her after school to accept her invitation. I celebrated with her briefly while I stirred.

She had to go; she wanted to call Angela and Lauren to tell them. I decided to keep my mouth shut about Lauren marking her territory earlier.

Jessica tried again to get me to come to the dance but I told her I decided to go to Seattle that night.

After I hung up, I tried to concentrate on dinner - dicing the chicken especially; I didn't want to take another trip to the emergency room. But my head was spinning, trying to analyze every word Jacob had spoken today. What did he mean; he can't be friends with me?

My stomach twisted as I realized what he must have meant. He must have realized how complicated I was; he must not want to deal with me anymore... so we couldn't even be friends... because he couldn't deal with all the drama I brought. He was just a natural flirt and he probably thought that he was in over his head with me.

Of course he wasn't interested in me; I thought angrily, my eyes stinging - a delayed reaction to the onions.

I wasn't interesting. And he was.

_Exciting... and sexy... and mysterious... and amusing... and handsome... and possibly able to stop moving vans with his hands._

_**If he didn't like you then why was he upset that you won't talk to him?**_

I ignored the voice protesting in my head.

Well, that was fine. I could leave him alone. I would leave him alone. I would focus more on my studies, like I'd been doing for the past 17 years, and then hopefully earn a scholarship to some school in the Southwest, or possibly Hawaii. I focused my thoughts on sunny beaches and palm trees as I finished the enchiladas and put them in the oven.

Charlie made a face when he came home and smelled the green peppers.

"I thought I told you I was taking us out for dinner," Charlie said, looking at me like committed a crime by cooking.

I rubbed the back of my neck guiltily. "I forgot," I mumbled.

Charlie looked at the food like it had offended him in some way. But he was a cop, and a guy, so he was brave enough to take the first bite.

He seemed to like it but then he frowned again.

"I was going to take us to this new restaurant that opened up a few weeks ago," he said.

"I'm sorry, dad," I said, looking at my feet.

"It's okay, Bells," Charlie said, taking another bite. "We'll go tomorrow night,"

He sat down and I placed a plate of enchiladas in front of him. I made my own plate and we sat together eating in silence for a few minutes.

"Dad?" I asked when he was almost done.

"Yeah, Bella?" he asked.

"Um, I wanted to know if it's okay with you if I go to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday." I asked.

"That's a three hour trip. Why do you want to go to Seattle?" he asked.

"Well, I wanted to get few books - the library here is pretty limited - and maybe look at some clothes." I had more money than I was used to having, since, thanks to Charlie, I hadn't had to pay for a car.

Not that the truck didn't cost me quite a bit in the gas department.

"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage," he said, echoing my thoughts.

"I know. I'll stop in Montesano and Olympia - and Tacoma if I have to." I said, hurriedly.

I'd rather drive for 4 hours then have to spend a single moment at the dance.

"Are you going all by yourself?" he asked, and I couldn't tell if he was suspicious I had a secret boyfriend or just worried about car trouble.

"Yes." I said, firmly.

"Seattle is a big city - you could get lost," he worried.

"Dad, Phoenix is twice the size of Seattle - and I can read a map, don't worry about it." I said, trying to reassure him.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, hopeful.

No, not really. It wasn't because I didn't want to spend time with Charlie, I loved him, but I felt smothered. At school Tyler and Mike were always around somewhere and at home Charlie wouldn't let me do anything. I just wanted some time to myself.

"That's all right, Dad, I want to go by myself," I said.

Charlie looked hesitant.

"What if something happens?" he asked.

I looked away.

"Dad, I'll be fine," I said.

"What if your car breaks down or someone tries to mug you or carjack you or-"

"Dad, stop!" I demanded.

Charlie looked shocked.

"Nothing is going to happen to me," I said.

"You don't know that," he said.

"I do know that," I said. "I'm clumsy but I'm not dumb and I'm not inept. I survived the car accident without a scratch. I lived with my mom for Pete's sake!"

Charlie nodded but I could tell that this wasn't over.

"What about the dance?" he asked.

Why? Why couldn't I ever catch a break?

"No - I don't dance, Dad." I said, hastily.

He, of all people, should understand that - I didn't get my balance problems from my mother.

He did understand.

"Oh, that's right," he realized.

"So, can I go?" I asked.

Charlie seemed to be having an internal battle with himself.

"Fine," he grumbled, and I smiled.

"Thanks, Dad," I said, clearing the table.

Charlie refused to let me wash the dishes so I went upstairs and finished my homework and studied until I got tired.

* * *

><p><em>That night, I explained what happened to dream Jacob and told him my thoughts.<em>

"_Real Jacob doesn't want to be my friend." I said._

_Dream Jacob kept his distance but I could tell he was listening._

"_I can understand why. He's exciting... and sexy... and mysterious... and amusing... and handsome… and I'm-" I started but dream Jacob interrupted._

"_You're smart and gorgeous and sassy," Dream Jacob said._

_I shook my head. _

"_I'm plain and uninteresting," I said with a sigh. "And I come with too much baggage."_

"_You're incredible and if that jerk doesn't know how amazing you are then it's his loss," Dream Jacob said. "Besides, I'm sure he has a lot of baggage himself,"_

"_But that jerk is you," I pointed out._

_Dream Jacob frowned and then I woke up._

* * *

><p>The next morning, when I pulled into the parking lot, I deliberately parked as far as possible from Jacob's motorcycle as I could.<p>

Getting out of the cab, I fumbled with my key and it fell into a puddle at my feet. As I bent to get it, a white hand flashed out and grabbed it before I could. I jerked upright.

Edward Cullen was right next to me, leaning casually against my truck.

He was wearing a dark button-up shirt with the top two buttons open and some loose fitting jeans.

"How did you do that?" I asked in amazed irritation.

"Do what?" he asked, pretending he didn't know what I was talking about.

_What's up with him?_

He held my key out as he spoke.

As I reached for it, he dropped it into my palm.

"Appear out of thin air." I asked.

"Bella, you are exceptionally unobservant. You parked your truck next to me." He said his voice was quiet and muted.

I glance at the shiny Volvo I was parked next to.

I scowled at him.

_Why was he bothering me?_

His eyes were a deep, golden honey color.

Didn't wear contacts, _what a joke!_

Did he change the color this morning?

Then I had to look down, to keep from saying something.

"Bella!" I heard a familiar husky voice call.

I turned and saw Jacob running over.

He stopped in front of me and glared at Edward.

"What are you doing here, Cullen?" he growled.

I looked at him confused.

Edward glared at him.

This was a step up from the disturbing smiles he kept giving me

"I was just having a conversation with Isabella, so if you don't mind," he said, stepping closer to me.

"I thought I told you not to call me that!" I growled.

He looked surprised at my anger. I was shocked too. What was it about Edward Cullen that made me edgy?

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night," I lied, horribly but Edward seemed to by it.

Edward nodded in understanding.

"You should get more rest Isabel-" I glared at him

"Bella," I said.

Edward sent me a dazzling smile.

"Why thank you, Bella, for reminding me," he said.

I felt my eye twitch.

I forced myself to smile back.

"You're welcome," I said, hiding my irritation.

"Leave," Jacob demanded, glaring at Edward.

Edward sent him a dark look before turning back to me.

"I must get to class or I'm going to be late," he said.

He leaned in and took a deep breath.

"You smell very nice today," he said, before walking away.

Weirdo.

I turned to Jacob and gave him a look over. He was wearing a dark gray hoodie, a tight white shirt that showed off his muscle body, and some dark gray jeans.

He looked nice.

"Why were you talking to that jerk?" he asked, breaking me from my ogling.

I glared at him.

"Why the traffic jam last night?" I demanded.

"I thought you were supposed to stay away from me, not irritating me to death." I added.

"I wanted to ask something but Tyler got in the way. You seemed to be in a bad mood afterwards so I decided to talk to you later," he explained.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" I asked.

"I'm not going to stay away from you," he declared.

"So you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's van didn't do the job?" I snapped before I could stop myself.

What was _**wrong **_with me?

Anger flashed in his dark eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, and he clenched his fist.

"Bella, you are being crazy," he said, his low voice cold.

"I'm not crazy," I snapped, then winced.

I was having a bad day. My palms tingled - I wanted so badly to hit something. I was surprised at myself. I was usually a nonaggressive person. I turned my back and started to walk away.

"Wait," he called.

I kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. But he was next to me, easily keeping pace.

"You have to admit that constantly accusing me of wanting you dead is not the way to have a conversation," he said as we walked.

I ignored him.

"Because it isn't true," he continued, "I don't want you dead."

"Then what do you want from me?" I grumbled.

"I wanted to ask you something, but you distracted me," he chuckled.

He seemed to have recovered his good humor.

"Do you have a multiple personality disorder?" I asked harshly.

"Maybe," He teased. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

I sighed.

"Fine then. What do you want to ask?" I asked, resigned.

"I was wondering if, a week from Saturday-" He started.

"Are you trying to be funny?" I interrupted him, wheeling toward him.

My face got drenched as I looked up at his expression.

His eyes were mischievously amused. "You love interrupting me, don't you?"

I bit my lip and clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers, so I couldn't do anything rash.

"I heard you say you were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you could give me a ride." He asked, with a smirk.

That was unexpected.

"What?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Can you give me a ride to Seattle?" He asked.

I was stunned.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, I was planning to go to Seattle in the next few weeks, and I'm sure if your truck can make it there, plus it's safer than my motorcycle."

"I hardly know you," I said, thinking of how Charlie would feel if I rode to Seattle with a strange boy.

"We can get to know each other better along the way," he said, countering my argument.

"I want to be alone," I said, that was the whole point of the trip in the first place.

I needed some time away from the people here. I felt suffocated.

"But Seattle is a dangerous place and once we get there we can go our separate ways," he argued.

"I won't take you to Seattle." I said, firmly.

I started to walk again, but I was too surprised to maintain the same level of anger.

"What if I pay for half of the gas? I know the gas expenses have to be a killer." he said.

He matched my pace again.

"No, and I don't see how that is any of your business." I growled.

"Well as your friend…" he started but I cut him off.

"I thought you didn't want to be my friend." I chimed.

"I said we couldn't be friends, not that I didn't want to be." He said, unhappily.

"Oh, thanks, now that _that's _all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm.

I realized I had stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof now, so I could more easily look at his face.

This certainly didn't help me focus.

"It would safer for you not to be my friend," he explained. "But it's really hard to stay away from you, Bells."

His eyes were dangerously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice blazing. I couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Can I go with you to Seattle?" he asked, I saw something in his eyes that made me hesitate.

He was trying and I was being difficult. He did save my life and, up until the accident, he'd been one of the first friends I'd made here.

I nodded.

He smiled, and it was like the sun came out from behind the clouds, then his face became serious.

"You should stay away from the Cullens," he warned, looking at something behind me.

"I'll walk you to class." He said, and then he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me away.

I looked behind me and saw Edward Cullen staring at us with a dark look in his eye.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: So this chapter was really difficult to write. I hope it turned out okay.<strong>

**So please review and let me know your thoughts. No flames please.**


End file.
